Not Supposed to Raise Him Alone
by NotSupposedToRaiseHim
Summary: The untold story of Lost. Claire is back in L.A. with Kate, Sawyer, and Aaron when they get a visit from Desmond. He has seen a vision of Charlie alive and knows where to find him. Featured in this fanfic: Ben, Jacob, MiB, Liam, Penny, and of course, Charlie! Suggestions and/or requests will be considered. Please Review and Enjoy!
1. Moving On

**Disclaimer - I do not own LOST.**

**A/N Begins with five short chapters before they leave.**

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Claire's eyes flew open wide. She was breathing hard and shaking uncontrollably. The darkness surrounding her was palpable; it closed in on her, constricting her movements. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, only adding to her immense feeling of anxiety. Claire took a steadying breath, and lifted up her head to take in her surroundings. She was in a bedroom, comfortably furnished with a large bed and plenty of space. The bed she was laying on was comfortable and soft, but to Claire, unusual. It took Claire a moment to realize where she was; Kate's spare bedroom. Home.

Claire let out a sigh of relief and laughed nervously. She'd been having another nightmare; the one where she was still alone on the island, lost without Aaron, without anyone. _Aaron_. Suddenly panicked, Claire stretched her hand out across the wide mattress and reached for her sleeping son. For a heart-skipping moment, her hand felt nothing but blankets. Her mind raced. Finally, relief washed over her as she felt Aaron lying next to her. Claire took another deep, steadying breath. It was over, it was all over.

The room was quiet. It was strange, Claire thought, being in Kate's spare bedroom. Foreign. Sleeping in a real bed, wearing clean clothes, Aaron lying right beside her; it was almost too good to be true. Claire had never been more lost than when she was by herself on that island with only an animal skull to keep her company. But Aaron was there, he was right next to her.

"I love you baby," she whispered quietly through tears. "I'll never leave you again Aaron, I promise." Aaron stretched, rolled over onto his side and curled his little hand around Claire's finger. She held on tightly, never wanting to let go. With her other hand, she brushed the light blonde hair out of his eyes.

Soft light crept into the room through the half opened shutters. It would be morning soon. The start of a new day and, the beginning of Claire's new life. _What am I going to do now?_ she wondered desperately. She couldn't very well take him from Kate. No matter how hard it was for Claire to admit, the two had formed a connection. All Claire did know was that she and her son would stay together. She would never leave him again. Aaron stirred fitfully in his sleep. Seeing him there, Claire's thoughts focused on him.

Her baby was so grown up now, almost four. And he was so beautiful, just like Kate had said. Claire contemplated the life that she could have had. All of the memories, lost. Aaron's first words, his first steps, all gone. Claire had really thought that it would be different from this; that she would have been there with him for all of that. _This was supposed to be different,_ she thought to herself quietly. _And Charlie was supposed to be here._

Claire's eyes stung and her cheeks felt wet. She had been crying without realizing it. Claire let it all out now. The tears welled up in her eyes and fell freely down her face. Her whole body shuddered as she held onto Aaron; it was all too overwhelming. A hundred years ago, it seemed, she and Charlie were on the beach together with Aaron; a perfect little family.

Images came flooding back to Claire, memories of what was;

-"_I remember peanut butter, why do I remember peanut butter?"_

_"It was imaginary peanut butter, actually..." He laughed_

_-"I think about you, in this place, how hard it must be for you- without your family, and your friends, and I think, we could be friends..."_

She remembered all the long walks on the beach she and Charlie had taken, eating imaginary peanut butter, Charlie singing and playing his guitar, Charlie holding Aaron. She remembered falling in love with him. Charlie had loved Aaron like a son, and had died trying to get him and Claire rescued.

_"While I'm gone, don't worry about me" He assured her. He said goodbye to Aaron, they kissed for the last time, and then he was gone forever. _

"I miss you Charlie," she whispered into the darkness, "I'll always love you." While still keeping a firm grip on Aaron's hand, she used the other and pulled her legs close the her body, rocking herself back and forth. Emotions stirred up inside her; guilt, relief, joy, sadness, but most of all, love and loss. Love for the little boy lying next to her, who had remembered Claire as soon as he saw her, when Kate took her to see him in the motel. _Aaron called me mommy,_ she remembered joyfully. And loss, loss for Charlie, her true love and her best friend.

Aaron was all she had left, he was her family now. "It's all over," Claire reminded herself. "I can move on now." Just then, the doorbell rang.


	2. Count to Five

**Disclaimer - I don't own LOST.**

**Chapter Two, we hope you like it. **

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Kate sat alone in the darkness on the edge of her bed.

She was back home, again.

Her room seemed so empty without Aaron. Kate glanced around the room, looking for something, anything to hold onto. Clothes were strewn across the floor, some hanging haphazardly out her dresser; mementos of Kate's split second decision to go back to the island.

Her eyes finally came across what she had been looking for. Under a particularly large heap of shoes, the tail fin of a stuffed Orca jutted out. Emotions took over Kate, memories pushed to the forefront of her mind; she slid off of the bed and onto the floor. The rough quilt created friction against her arms as she went down. Kate landed on the floor with a thud; a small cloud of dust swarmed up around her. Kate reached up to her eyes and brushed away the tears that were beginning to form.

Slowly, Kate's arm stretched across the floor. In the half-light, she looked pale and ghost-like. The shoes toppled over as Kate moved them like boulders down a mountain. The Oceanic settlement money had allowed her to buy plenty of shoes. Her hands finally felt the soft fabric.

Gingerly, Kate picked up Aaron's favorite toy. She pulled it close to her body, relishing it's softness. Kate knew that her baby was out of her life. Claire still blamed her, she was sure of it. Kate could no longer hold the tears back. Sobbing, Kate let her emotions in, let them take over; but only for a moment. She slowly began to count; an old trick Jack had taught her.

_ "Excuse me! Did you ever use a needle?" _

_"What?" Kate asked. She was still confused and disoriented. They had just been in a plane crash, and this man was asking about her sewing capabilities. _

_It was later now, and he had somehow convinced Kate to help him. For some reason, she trusted him already. "You don't seem afraid at all. I don't understand that." he laughed, more to himself, as though he was remembering something. _

_"Well, fear is sort of an odd thing..." He then told her of his first solo procedure, how he had messed up and gotten scared. How he dealt with it by counting to five. _

"One...," she whispered. Aaron would be leaving, probably soon, "Two..." she sobbed. Jack was most likely dead, "Three..." Her throat constricted. Jin and Sun were gone. "Four..." She managed to choke out. Kate paused for a shaky breath. "Five..." She said slowly.

The doorbell rang. Kate was drawn out of her reverie. Her head snapped up and she listened carefully. Fear and doubt rushed into her mind._ Is it the police_? she wondered, _Do they know I left the state?_ This wasn't supposed to happen, Eloise had taken care of everything. The manifest had been destroyed; nobody had any clue how the Ajira plane had ended up in a remote Californian field.

Kate took a deep breath. Whoever it was, they wanted something; being here this early in the morning. Carefully Kate placed the Orca on her bedspread and reached for her nightstand. The wood was cool, so unlike how she was feeling. Kate's heart was beating heavily as she felt around inside the drawer. Her fingers came in contact with cool metal. Kate drew out her gun and headed for her door.

Kate stood up, flexing her legs. She walked purposefully to the door, her long brown curls bouncing around her head. She paused. This was no time to lose her head. Gently, she pushed the door open; it swung its hinges without creaking. The bell rang again, loud and clear, like a warning. Kate peered around the opening. From her vantage point, she could see the door, standing firm. A movement across the hall caught Kate's eye.

Claire was standing in the opening of the guest bedroom. Kate couldn't help but notice how different she looked. No longer the wild, crazy women who shot people without remorse, Claire had reverted back to her normal self. Her blonde hair was no longer messy and tangled, but clean; it shone in the moonlight. Her light blue eyes were full of concern as she whispered "Who is that?" in her soft Australian accent.

Kate put two fingers up to her lips to signal silence. Claire must have caught a sight of Kate's gun, and the look on her face, because her expression hardened. For a brief moment, Claire was hardened again. She glared at the door and then looked back at Kate.

Kate, worried that her friend might do something drastic, mouthed "Stay with Aaron." For a moment, Claire stood in the doorway. Conflicted emotions washing over her face. Kate could tell she was struggling over whether to stay with her son, or to protect him. Kate noticed Claire's hand shaking on the doorknob as she struggled. Finally, she gave in to her good side and turned back into her room. Kate heard the click of a lock.

Satisfied, Kate made her way down the stairs. Each step brought a creak that made Kate's heart pound. Whoever was at the door got impatient, because they knocked sharply.

"Just a minute," Kate said aloud, in a neutral tone. She opened the latch with her left hand; her gun ready in the right should she need it. The door swung open.

It wasn't the police. It was Desmond.


	3. Old Friends

**Disclaimer - I don't own LOST.**

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"Catch a falling star and put in your pocket, never let it fade away..." Claire sang quietly to Aaron as he lay peacefully in bed; unaware of what was going on downstairs. The song had always brought comfort to her, and she needed it now more than ever, as she struggled against the urge to go downstairs. She smoothed Aaron's hair back and continued singing.

"Just a minute," she heard Kate call from downstairs; Kate sounded nervous. Claire stopped abruptly at "Save it for a rainy day..." and listened intently. From downstairs, the sound of the door opening and Kate gasping reached Claire's ears. Claire pulled her hand away from Aaron and clenched her fists. _Something is wrong_ she thought to herself. Kate said something inaudible to the person at the door. Just as Claire was about to go downstairs, Kate's voice came ringing up the stairs.

"It's okay Claire," Kate called excitedly, "You can come down." Claire pushed herself off of the bed slowly, worried that all of the noise would wake up Aaron. As she reached her door, Claire remembered that Aaron was born on the island; he could sleep through anything. Claire smiled to herself slightly as she opened the door.

Claire saw Kate standing in the entryway. A gun was held limply in her right hand as if she didn't need it. Claire made her way down the stairs, holding onto the railing tightly. From her point of view, Claire still couldn't see who it was.

"Can I come in?" a voice asked in a familiar accent.

"Yes, yes of course you can," Kate replied in a hushed, but happy voice. Kate moved aside and let the visitor into the room. Claire let out a tiny gasp and put a hand up to her mouth when she recognized the face. Claire hadn't seen Desmond since he stayed with Jack's group and she left with Locke's. That was the night that she found out Charlie died. Claire pushed the memory back, and walked the rest of the way down.

"Desmond?" Claire asked cautiously. Her tense stature relaxed when he nodded.

"Aye, it's me." he replied. Desmond was hardly recognizable; cleaner. His hair was cut short, and he didn't have his usual scraggly beard. Desmond walked past Claire, and made his way into the kitchen. Claire noticed then that he was carrying a large manila folder. Kate and Claire followed him at a slower pace.

"When did you get back?" Kate asked questioningly. She walked over to a coffee machine and turned it on. The sweet aroma filled the room, and made everything seem more comfortable and relaxed. Desmond sat on a chair at slid the folder on the table in front of him.

"Two days ago" he replied. "You?"

"We got back last week, brotha," said a familiar southern voice from the living room entryway. Claire had almost forgot that Kate had invited Sawyer to stay at her house too. He didn't have anywhere to go either. Sawyer stretched, and worked the sleep out of his back. Claire noticed that he had major bed-head. "Coffee smells good." He added casually.

Claire was surprised that Sawyer hadn't rushed to the door. And then she noticed the gun in his hand. Sawyer walked up to Desmond and shook his hand. A light flickered from the other room. Claire could vaguely hear the sound of a television ad; Sawyer had fallen asleep watching a _Little House on the Prairie_ marathon.

"Glad you're back," he said groggily. "I just woke up myself" Sawyer put his gun on the table and reached for the cabinet. He pulled out a mug and offered one to Desmond. "So how's the real world treatin'-"

"Where is Jack?" Kate interjected, "Is he alright, is he dead is he-"

"I don't know," Desmond answered honestly, "He was alive, last I saw him." Desmond looked at Kate apologetically. "That's all I can say. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

"Why are you here then?" Asked Claire, speaking again quietly. "Is something wrong, did you have another vision?" Claire looked at him pleadingly, hoping desperately that he hadn't; Desmond's visions were rarely good news.

"Aye, that I did," he answered cautiously, "it's going to take a bit of explaining though." He added thoughtfully. "I'll try me best to explain everthin'. Besides, we have a lot of catchin' up ta do."

"So, how's Penny?" Asked Kate at length. Desmond smiled at the table, then took a swig from his mug.

"Penny's fine. Her, and Charlie." Claire's heart jolted at the name, but then she relaxed; Kate had already told her all about Desmond's son. Claire lifted her own mug and took a drink. The warm liquid surged through her, giving her strength. She downed the rest in one gulp. Sawyer chuckled and poured her some more.

"Been a while since you drank coffee then, eh Rambina?" Claire giggled at the nickname and drank some more. For the first time in a long time, Claire felt safe, and at home.

"So how is Aaron, by the way?" Desmond asked Claire. At the mention of Aaron's name, a smile came across her lips. Aaron was hers again.

"He's fine. Great, actually," Claire replied happily, "He's sleeping upstairs at the moment." "So what did you come here to talk about?" She asked casually. Claire felt completely safe now, and her mood was improving. Desmond shifted uncomfortably. His demeanor suggested that he had been holding something back. He drummed his fingers nervously on the side of his mug.

Kate and Sawyer leaned forward to hear Desmond better. Whatever he had to say, they could tell it was important. "Well,..." Desmond began slowly, "I don't really know how to explain it properly... I've started having visions again, flashes." He paused then for a breath and another drink of coffee. "The thing is..." He continued, "Well, they don't make much sense, because..."

"Get on with it, crystal ball!" exclaimed Sawyer impatiently. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, gripping his mug like it was a lifeline. Kate sat quietly in the corner, a puzzled expression on her face. Claire tapped her fingers impatiently on the table.

"They don't make any sense because Charlie is in them. Alive."


	4. Chasing Ghosts

**Disclaimer - I don't own Lost**

**Thank you for all your reviews! We are so glad you like it.**

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The room went silent. Although daylight was streaming in through the window, the atmosphere couldn't have been darker. What had once been a friendly, inviting get-together, was now a dark, tense meeting. Desmond knew that this would happen, the reaction that he would get. All he could do was hope that he was right. Claire spoke first.

"Wh-what do you mean, alive?" she asked in a hushed voice. "He's dead." She said it with finality. She had been believing it for three years now. "You told me he was dead!" Claire was yelling now, sadness, anger, desperation, all bubbled to the surface of her mind, screaming to be released.

"Claire, you'll wake Aaron" Kate whispered from the corner. Claire glared at her, ready to explode. But then, she saw the expression on Kate's face. Kate looked just as shocked, and tears were forming in her eyes. She wiped them away when she noticed Claire looking at her.

"I'm sorry," Claire said quietly, and she meant it. "I'm sorry Kate, I just overreacted." Desmond looked between the two of them, feeling slightly awkward.

"What makes you say munchk-," Kate slapped Sawyer's arm and gave him a look towards Claire that Desmond caught out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry..." Sawyer corrected himself. "What makes you say that Charlie is alive?" He gave Kate a look- _Satisfied?_ Desmond took a deep breath. Sawyer leaned forward again, waiting for a response.

"The first time it happened was when I woke up after Hurley and Ben saved me." He started. "I saw Charlie lying in a room... I think it was a Dharma station. He was unconscious, in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines. I didn't know what to make of it." His voice was shaking.

"Hurley, and Ben, they said I was raving like a lunatic." "They saved me, and then, when I was healed, they let me leave. I left on my old sailboat, the Elizabeth." Desmond paused. "I made it home safely enough." Desmond sighed. "And then, when I got home, it happened again..."

"The first night back, when I fell asleep, I saw him again, Charlie. He was in the same room, but awake and trying to find a way out." Desmond remembered it clearly, every detail was burnt into his mind. "I don't think he was on the island though" he added. "I could here cars, traffic outside. And the symbol, the Dharma symbol, was one I had never seen before. It was a tree." Desmond reached for his folder. "I did a little research, and this symbol was one the Dharma initiative used at an off island location, in England."

Desmond pulled a picture out of the folder, a photo of the logo; a white tree with its limbs outstretched. Desmond noticed the others looking at the folder, curiously. "There's other things in this envelope..." He said, almost to himself, "But it's only for Claire to see." He slid it over to her, like he was letting go of something important. Claire put it next to her mug, but didn't open it. She was still waiting for an answer, as were the others.

"Look, I don't know how, I don't know why, but Charlie is alive and he needs our help." "He needs you!" he said desperately, "Please!" Desmond looked at each of them anxiously, taking in their reactions.

Kate was staring off into space, lost in thought. Sawyer hid behind a mask, looking down at his mug; Desmond couldn't read him. Claire's eyes were glossed over in tears; she was shaking slightly. Desmond knew that she was the one to convince. If she went, the others would follow. "When do we leave?" she asked quietly.

"Now you wait just one minute," interjected Sawyer, reverting back into his old habit of nicknames "Just because the medium says that the rock star is alive, don't make it true." "Charlie's dead!" Sawyer stood up to make his point, and gestured towards the door, "Claire you're not just gonna go running off with Desmond- chasing ghosts!"

"Sawyer!" Kate yelled at him. She reached out an arm to console Claire, who had begun crying, "try to have a little sensitivity."

"What about Aaron?" He asked Claire quietly. Desmond could tell that Sawyer was concerned. His face was one of pain and his outstretched hand was shaking.

"And who are you?" Claire asked angrily looking up at him, "My father?" Her expression was livid. "Are you in charge of me?!"

"No!" yelled Sawyer, noticeably offended. "I'm just... I'm just looking out for you is all." He said quietly. Sawyer sat back down with a grunt. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I guess we'll just have to take him with us," He mumbled to himself.

"So, when do we leave?" He asked aloud, looking at Desmond pointedly. Desmond realized now, how much it would hurt them if he was wrong, and he was only reopening old wounds. Chasing ghosts.


	5. No More Playin' House

**Disclaimer - I don't own LOST**

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"Ahem," said Sawyer, gesturing with his head towards the stairs. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at. Aaron was slowly making his way down the stairs rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked at Desmond curiously before running to Claire. It still surprised Sawyer, that the little munchkin had remembered Claire entirely.

Aaron hugged Claire tightly and she hugged him back. "Good morning mommy," he said sleepily. "Good morning, baby," she said in a thick voice. She held onto him for a little longer. Claire smiled contently. Then, she let go of him and he padded over to Kate. "Hi mommy," he said to her and smiled.

"Remember Aaron, from now on you can call me Auntie Kate," she reminded him. Sawyer could see the pain in Kate's eyes. No matter how she acted, Kate still loved Aaron as her son.

"OK," he said, nodding his understanding. "Can I have cereal?" Kate looked over to Claire, and she nodded back with a smile. Kate grinned and swooped Aaron up into a hug. He laughed happily.

"Maybe you guys should take this into the living room?" Kate asked them in a calm tone. Aaron looked back at them all shyly, except for Claire, whom he smiled at. Desmond gave Aaron a small smile. He laughed and looked away.

"Good idea," said Sawyer, keeping his eyes on Desmond, "You get the kid some breakfast, and we'll all carry on with our little get-together." Sawyer was not happy with any of it. He was tired of adventure, tired of ruffin' it, tired of chasing, tired of being chased; heck, he was just plain tired. All he wanted was to finally settle down, meet his daughter, Clementine and try to be a better dad than the one he had.

And yet, he couldn't stand the idea of Kate and Claire going off without him. He had to protect them now, Jack was gone, and they were his responsibility. After what Desmond had said, there was no way Blondie was going to pass this chance up, and there was no way she'd leave her kid behind. Sawyer knew that Kate would go wherever those two went, so he was stuck. They were all roped in, like it or not. Desmond had played his cards right.

They all got up and vacated the table. One by one, they filed into the living room. Desmond caught the sound of the TV playing. Sawyer reached over and turned it off.

"So, just how are you planning' to drag us onto this little expedition, Gilligan?" Sawyer asked as he plopped down on the couch. Claire sat on the couch a little apart from him, and Desmond took the chair opposite.

"On my boat," Desmond replied, "Our Mutual Friend." From the kitchen, Sawyer could hear cereal being poured into a plastic bowl. Sawyer craned his neck; he could see Kate around the corner, talking with Aaron as he ate. She seemed happy.

"Where do we start lookin'" he asked. Desmond opened his mouth and then closed it again. Sawyer narrowed his eyes. "You don't even know, do you?" He questioned.

"No," Desmond answered truthfully, "I don't. I'm hoping that when we get close, I'll have another flash.

"What about that little file of yours?" asked Sawyer venomously, "I thought you said you knew where this place was!"

"I know the country it's in, nothin' more brotha" Desmond replied. "They kept the place secret! Whatever it is though, it's important, I'm sure of it" Desmond said with conviction. Out of the corner of his eye, Sawyer saw Claire nodding in agreement. It was over, Claire was on board.

"Well fine!" Sawyer said aloud, "I guess we're going with you". The talking in the kitchen ceased abruptly. Kate was obviously listening.

"I'm guessing that we're gonna take turnip-head in there with us?" Sawyer asked nodding towards the kitchen. Claire smiled, a little sadly at the use of the old nickname.

"Yes," she replied. "I promised Aaron that I'd never leave him again." Sawyer noticed that she didn't seem so sure.

"Go up and play with your toys now, baby," Kate said quietly from the kitchen.

"Where's my whale?" Aaron asked loudly.

"It's in my room," Kate said. There was a pause and then Aaron's light footsteps could be heard going up the stairs. Kate entered the living room, looking curiously at Desmond. She sat next to Sawyer on the couch in-between him and Claire.

"Freckles... I'm sorry I yelled" he apologized to Kate softly, "I didn't mean it." Kate looked at him and smiled.

"It's okay," she said before turning her attention back to Desmond.

"So we're going?" She asked.

"Pack your bags, sweetheart," Sawyer replied.


	6. Greatest Hits

**Disclaimer - We still don't own LOST guys. **

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Clear blue water slid underneath the hull of the ship. The ocean sparkled, reflecting the golden sunset; a water color painting in the clouds. Claire stood on deck, looking out at the seemingly endless ocean. It was beautiful, the sky, she thought serenely. She was leaning against the railing, a light salt-scented breeze whipping through her curly blonde hair. Her fist tightened around the folder she was holding; the folder Desmond had given her. She frowned. _I'm not ready._

Claire hadn't opened it yet; she was too afraid of what she would find. The paper was smooth in her hand, just an object, a thing. Everything around her was peaceful and full of life, yet Claire felt exactly the opposite inside. Her stomach churned- and not because of the waves.

"Hi," said a cheerful voice approaching her. Claire turned her head, it was Penny. Claire smiled. She tucked her hair behind her ears and put her back to the ocean.

"Hello," she said back, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said, nodding at the sea. They were quite a few miles off the coast of North America, in the Pacific Ocean headed to the Panama Canal, where they would cross into the Atlantic and then head for England. They all knew it would take longer, but they had all agreed...no more planes.

"Yeah, it is," Penny replied. She folded her hands over the rail and stared at the ocean. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was casually dressed. Jeans and a t-shirt, just like everyone else.

They hadn't had much time to pack; Desmond had put pressure on them for time. It didn't really matter to Claire, she didn't have much to begin; just some spare clothes of Kate's that were a size too big on her. Sawyer had taken some of Jack's old things. Claire had made sure that Aaron had plenty of clothes, toys, and books.

"What do you have there?" Penney asked, looking down at the folder. She seemed interested, but not nosy.

"Nothing, it's nothing." Claire smiled politely. The sound of laughter caused both her and Penny to turn their heads. Aaron and Charlie, Penny's son were chasing each other on deck, playing pirates. Claire and Penny laughed as Charlie tired to keep up with Aaron.

"Wait for me!" He cried loudly. Aaron stopped and waited for Charlie. Just when Charlie got close, Aaron started running again.

"Hey, no fair!" Charlie called loudly. He toddled after Aaron unsteadily. It made Claire happy, that Aaron had a friend to play with. She was glad. He wasn't alone.

"They're so cute together," Penny noted, laughing to herself, "they seem like best friends already."

"Yeah," Claire smiled, "they do." Aaron came toddling up to Claire and held up his arms.

"I'm tired," he yawned sleepily. Claire picked Aaron up and propped him up on her hip. She hugged him close, still amazed that he was hers.

"I think it's time for your nap, turnip head" she said lovingly.

Aaron held Claire's hand as they walked below deck. They had only been on Desmond's boat for a week, and yet it felt like home. The living space was open, and not at all cramped or uncomfortable. In the living area, Sawyer and Kate were on the couch, watching TV. They seemed happy together, both knew what the other was going through in the loss of the person they loved. Sawyer didn't have Juliet, Kate didn't have Jack, but they did have each other. It made Claire feel guilty, that she had a chance to get Charlie back.

Aaron yawned again loudly, stifling the sound with his hand.

"Can I watch TV?" He asked looking up at Claire. His expression seemed so sweet, Claire almost couldn't resist.

"Maybe later, Aaron," Claire told him, "Kate told me that you watch TV a little too much." They went on down the hall until they reached the sleeping berths. "Okay, Aaron, time for a little nap." Claire lay him down on his bed and tucked him in gently.

"I don't wanna go bed" said a voice. Claire turned, Penny was carrying Charlie to his bed.

"I know, love," Penny said kindly, "But if you don't, I'm afraid you'll be too tired for ice cream tonight" She set him down carefully and covered him with blankets. Charlie stared at her for a while, making his decision.

"Okay, I go a bed." Charlie said, through a wide yawn. Penny and Claire both got up to leave. Claire didn't want to leave her son, but she knew staying would only keep him awake longer.

"Nighty-night," she said to Aaron, "I love you" Penny shut the door behind her and Claire. Inside the room, Claire heard the shifting of blankets and the sound of feet.

"Are you going to bed?" Aaron asked Charlie in a whisper.

"Uh-uh" Charlie replied. They laughed quietly to each other, convinced they were being sneaky. Outside, Claire and Penny giggled.

"You two had better be in your beds when I come in to check on you later." Penny called out. The two boys went silent.

Sawyer and Kate were in the kitchen now, preparing dinner. The room was filled with a fragrant aroma, making Claire feel safe.

"Do you two need any help?" she asked politely. Sawyer and Kate looked up. They were laughing, Sawyer had food all over his shirt, and Kate was no different.

"No, I think we're fine." Sawyer grinned, taking in the mess. "If we need anything, w'ell holler."

"Okay." Claire said and walked away quietly. Penny stayed behind and set the table. She struck up a conversation with Kate and Sawyer.

Claire walked up on deck, looking for something to do. She noticed that the folder was still clenched in her fist. She looked down at it, resting in her shaking hands and sighed. Slowly, she opened the folder up.

In it, were a few family photos of Charlie, a note addressed to Claire, and something heavy. Claire shook it out, and Charlie's ring fell into her palm. It was cold, and too large for any of Claire's fingers.

"He wanted Aaron to have it." said a voice from behind Claire. Desmond walked up. "Charlie, he wanted Aaron to have the ring, said it was a family heirloom, passed down from father to son." Tears came to Claire's eyes.

"He knew didn't he?" she asked quietly, "He knew when he swam down to that hatch that he would-" her voice broke.

"Aye, he did," Desmond said uncomfortably, "He did it for you. I had a vision. He swan down to the hatch, because I saw that him doing so would get you, and your boy rescued."

"Well, it didn't exactly turn out that way." She said pensively. Desmond shifted his weight uncomfortably. After a while, he spoke

"I just came to say that I anchored the ship, we won't be moving forward for a while."

"Okay," Claire said quietly. She turned the note over in her hands. It was labeled Greatest Hits in Charlie's bold, sloppy handwriting.

"Well, I'll just leave you to it then," Desmond said nervously and walked away. Claire took a deep breath. She waited until she couldn't here Desmond's footfalls anymore before she gently unfolded it. Her eyes moved back and forth as she read every line. It was a list of Charlie's greatest moments in his life:

#5 - The First Time I Heard Myself On the Radio  
#4 - Dad Teaching Me To Swim at Butlins  
#3 - The Christmas Liam Gave Me the Ring  
#2 - Woman Outside Covent Garden Calls Me a Hero  
#1 - The Night I Met You

Tears sprang to Claire's eyes as she read the last line. She covered her mouth with her hand, and shook silently. Charlie had given up everything to get her and her baby saved, everything. Claire folded the note gently, taking extra care not to crease it. She put the note and the ring in her back pocket. Both, she would save forever, whether Charlie got recused or not.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from below-deck. It was followed by a scream, and a desperate plea for help.


	7. Our Mutual Friend

_Desmond's eyes cracked open. He was lying in a dark room, completely alone. He raised his head groggily and groaned. His vision swam in and out of focus. _

_"Where am I?" Desmond croaked in a hoarse whisper. His throat was dry and it felt sore. Desmond raised his hand and rubbed it over his neck, massaging the area. The smooth skin contrasted greatly with his callused fingers. He lifted his body up slowly, and felt a sharp pain in his arm. Desmond looked down, and pulled out an IV needle. He moved backwards in shock; the arm he was looking at was different than normal, whiter, no longer tan._

_Desmond looked down slowly, his eyes moving upwards slowly. He was wearing jeans, but his legs were shorter than usual. He felt his hair, it was cut short, and fell in front of his eyes messily. _Blonde_, Desmond thought, _My hair is blonde_. Desmond nervously patted his face; it was no longer angular, but rounded, as was his nose._

_"Hello?" He called out cautiously. His voice sounded different too, he had an English accent. This is wrong, he though to himself, This is all wrong._

_A voice, seemingly from nowhere, reverberated through the room._

_"Why are you here?" The voice asked sharply through garbled static. Desmond raised his head higher; the voice, females, with a sophisticated English accent, was strikingly familiar to Desmond. He knew that he had heard it somewhere before._

_Desmond tried to raise his voice, and looked around the room expecting to see someone standing in the darkness._

_"Where am I?" _

_The women's was low in pitch, she sounded cold and impatient. "Why are you here?" She asked again with false kindness. Desmond twisted and turned before he finally found the source of the noise, a loudspeaker in the corner. Above it, was a camera, a red light flashing periodically._

_"I-I don't know. Where am I?" he asked again. An image came to the forefront of Desmond's mind, he was drowning, in a locked room. He saw himself on the other side of the door trying to break the it open. No, that couldn't be right. Desmond shook his head and thought harder, his head throbbing in pain._

_"I was on a boat," he said finally, "How did I get here?" His voice wasn't so hoarse anymore, but it sounded different; not his one. The woman ignored his question entirely._

_"Alright, Mister Pace," she said with an exasperated sigh, "if you won't answer me willingly, I'll have to try other ways of making you talk." More static. The loudspeaker went silent. All of the sudden, two people entered the room wheeling surgical supplies on a silver cart._

_Desmond's voice fell to a whisper. "What are you doin'?" He asked fearfully, " My name isn't Pace, it's Desmond!" His voice became high pitched and fearful, "You've made a mistake, I'm not supposed to be here!" He yelled loudly._

_"No, I'm afraid that you are not." said the voice, with a hint of pity, maybe even sadness, "Prepare him for the tests!" She said aloud. The two figures descended on Desmond, pinning him down to the bed. They slipped his arms into restraints as he thrashed wildly._

_"No!" He yelled loudly, thrashing up and and down "Stop! I'm not supposed to be here!" One of the figures put a mask over Desmond's mouth, and his world went black._

* * *

"Desmond!" someone cried, "Des, love, wake up please," the voice was desperate, pleading gently. "It's okay, you can open your eyes now." The voice was obviously female, her accented voice was shaking.

"My name isn't Pace, it's Desmond," Desmond moaned horsely, "You've made a mistake, I'm not supposed to be here!" he said desperately, wanting them to believe him- they had to believe him.

"He's awake!" another female voice said excitedly, this one was different, American accent. Desmond heard a sigh of relief. "Can someone explain to me what just happened here?" yet another voice asked voice gruffly. Male, this time, Southern. He sounded relieved, but cautious too.

Desmond's eyes fluttered open. He blinked as his pupils adjusted to the sudden brightness. An bright light flickered above Desmond's head. He forced his eyes open again. Desmond was lying on the floor of the kitchen; Penny was kneeling next to him, supporting his neck with one hand, and holding his hand with her other. Kate and Sawyer were standing a little way's back, leaning over with relief spread all over their faces.

"That's it love, open your eyes." Penny smiled warmly. Desmond looked at her and joy filled his heart.

"I'm back with the first aid kit!" came a panting Claire. She looked around, and then her eyes rested on Desmond's face. "Oh," she said softly. Relief flooded her face, red from exertion, and she handed to kit to Penny before sitting down.

"Ah, what happened?" Desmond asked slowly; his head was still pounding.

Sawyer looked at him, and answered in a even tone, "That's what we'd like to know, Chief."

Penny's voice came gently "You fell onto the floor Des, while we were talking about Charlie." Her eyes were filled with tears, but she was smiling.

"You were yelling," Kate added, "You said that you're name wasn't Pace." She ran a hand through her brown curls, sighed, and went on, "We were worried about you; you were crying in pain."

"Pace?" Claire asked quietly, "That's Charlie's last name" They all turned to look at Claire. "Desmond, why did you think you were Charlie?"

Desmond was slow to respond. "I think..." He said finally, "I think I was in his body, like- like my mind shifted or something." Desmond looked up at them, waiting for them to say that it was impossible, ludicrous.

"That makes sense," said Sawyer, folding his arms and leaning against the wall, "Anything crazy, or impossible, or just don't make any sense, happens to us." Desmond couldn't help but smile, it was true after all.

"I think I can stand." He said finally. Penny took his arm, and helped him up. Claire reached over and helped too. They walked a few steps. Desmond screamed out in pain; his chest felt like it was being cut into with a knife. Penny jumped, and her hold Desmond slipped in shock; she almost dropped him to the floor.

"What's wrong!?" Penny asked quickly. She and Claire set Desmond down gently on a chair and held him steady. He clutched his chest and cried out in pain. Claire had sat back down, but got up again to help.

"My chest feels like it's being sliced open!"

"Des, take a deep breath," Penny pleaded. She kneeled next to Desmond and took his hand. Desmond looked at her, his face wild, panic in his eyes. He grasped Penny's hand and held on to get his point across.

"It's Charlie!" Desmond yelled through the pain, "They're doing this to him, I can feel it." He gasped again and began to pant. Claire froze in the act of getting up. Her eyes were opened wide, like a child being told a ghost story.

"Charlie feels the same way as you?" She whispered, confused. The realization hit and Claire started shaking. "You're saying that Charlie's somewhere, and someone's cutting him open!" She put a hand to her mouth and began sobbing.

"No," Desmond answered through shaky breaths. "They have him sedated."

"Why?" Claire said in a barely audible voice, "Why would they do this to him?"

Desmond turned to her and stared. He could tell she was scared, but she needed to know the truth. Desmond thought about his answer before speaking.

"They wanted to know why he was alive. I think it was Eloise" he said remembering the cold voice; he turned to Kate, and she nodded. They both knew who she was. Kate's expression gave away her shock, Sawyer and Claire just looked confused.

"Who the h-" Sawyer began, but he stopped abruptly. Desmond had begun seizing; his whole body was shaking erratically. Penny started crying, but she held onto Desmond's hand. A small stream of blood trickled out of Desmond's nose. He wiped it way with his hand. Whatever they were doing to Charlie, he wasn't responding well.

"James, help!" Kate yelled. Sawyer ran forward and held Desmond down. Through all the commotion, Desmond heard the sound of whimpering. He turned sharply to locate the noise, gasping in pain as he did so. Charlie, his son was standing in the corner, tears streaming down his face. Aaron was tugging on his arm, trying to get him to leave, but Charlie wouldn't leave. He just stared at Desmond.

Desmond slowed his breathing and took control of his motions. The seizing stopped and Sawyer let go. "Charlie, go to your room," Desmond ordered. Charlie cried some more and started moving towards his father.

"Daddy's hurt!" He whimpered to Penny. Desmond put on a brave face, and smiled at Charlie. Charlie didn't need to see this, he was only three.

"Daddy just fell," Desmond said kindly, "I'll be fine, promise." He smiled warmly and did his best to appear healthy.

"No!" Charlie whimpered, "Daddy's, in the water!" He moaned, "Bleeding!" Desmond paused and looked at Charlie. Charlie's eyes were glazed over, and he was blinking rapidly.

"What?" Desmond asked, shocked. Just then, Claire recovered from her state of shock. She got up and smiled at Charlie and Aaron.

"Your daddy is fine" she said sweetly. "He'll be okay." Claire took Aaron, who was also crying, and Charlie in each hand and led them from the room. Desmond sat still, surrounded by his friends, wondering what his son had meant about the water.


	8. Just Like Old Times

Kate stood in the kitchen, cooking spaghetti with James. It was late, and Claire and Aaron still hadn't come below decks. Kate was concerned, of course she was. Aaron was still her son. Kate smiled to herself; she was glad that Claire had allowed her to be a part of Aaron's life. She had been so sure that Claire would resent her. Suddenly, Kate heard a whooshing sound and she was pulled from her thoughts. She turned abruptly to the sight of Sawyer patting the flames out with a towel.

"James!" Kate yelled laughing, "You'll ruin the sauce!" Sawyer turned to her and smiled smugly. Behind him, the sauce came dangerously close to bubbling over into the flames again.

"Freckles, I know how to cook pasta." he said, exasperated. "Juliet taught..." At this, Sawyer paused for a moment. No matter how he tried to hide it, Kate could see the pain in his eyes. He sighed and put his attention back to his cooking.

"Anyway, I know how. Now will you pass the tomatoes." Sawyer turned back to the stove and stirred absentmindedly.

"You still miss her." Kate said quietly. It wasn't a question. She passed the can over to Sawyer; he dumped in the contents and stirred.

"It doesn't matter now." He said gruffly after an awkward silence. Kate got the message; Talking about Juliet was off limits. "Don't beat yourself up." he said aloud, with mock cheer. Kate smiled at his back and left him alone.

"Here, taste." Sawyer help up the spoon to Kate's mouth. Sawyer's hand moved quickly, and before she knew it, Kate's whole chin was running in sauce. Sawyer grinned. "Oops." he said. Kate smiled, then licked her lips and considered the taste.

"Could use some salt."

"Everyone's a critic." Sawyer said, more to himself. Out of the corner of her eye, Kate noticed Sawyer reaching for the salt. Kate laughed and wiped away the sauce. It was nice to be able to spend time with Sawyer. Sawyer laughed back, and before they knew it they were both laughing hysterically. Kate reached over and dumped sauce on Sawyer's shirt.

"You've done it now." Sawyer said, grinning. He dumped sauce all over Kate's clothes.

"Do you two need any help?" came Claire's voice through the door. Kate and Sawyer froze and turned. Penny was right behind Claire, taking in her destroyed kitchen. Kate imagined what it must have looked like. Sawyer's shirt was covered in red sauce, his hand frozen in mid air clutching a glob of noodles. Kate herself was holding a bowl of vegetables aloft, some of them already on the floor.

Sawyer looked around at the mess. "No," he said, barely able to contain his laughter, "I think we're fine. If we need anything, we'll holler." He said kindly.

"Okay." Claire said quietly and turned to leave. Aaron wasn't with. Then, Kate heard the boys laughing from the bunks and let out a sigh of relief. Claire must have just put him down for a nap. she thought to herself. Penny stayed behind and grabbed some glasses from the cupboard.

"You two had better clean this mess up." she said sternly. Sawyer chuckled. Penny grabbed a few plates, and told them it was alright.

"Will do," he said apologetically, "Sorry about the mess." As soon as Claire's footsteps were gone, Kate turned to Penny.

"I saw you two talking together," she started casually, "Is she doing alright?" Penny set down the plate she had been holding and leaned back against the table. She crossed her arms before starting.

"She seemed fine. A little upset, but who can blame her." Penny stopped as if recalling something, but then shook her head. "She seemed happy." she finished. Sawyer gave Penny a suspicious look that Kate caught before grabbing some spices.

For a few moments, they worked in silence. Kate stirred the noodles, Sawyer the sauce. Kate heard the sound of footsteps, and a few seconds later, Desmond emerged, looking uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his hair before leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"I'm afraid I've just upset your friend." He said, nodding his head towards the stairs. "She's up there now."

"What happened?" Sawyer asked angrily in his southern accent, "what did you say to get her riled up?" Kate was surprised to see concern etched into his features. Sawyer had become very protective of Claire before she disappeared. And then, she remembered that he had been the one leading Claire when she went missing. _He feels guilty, _she thought to herself.

"I was talking to her about Charlie." he looked at them, as if expecting a negative response.

"I'm sorry" he added. Then, Desmond noticed Penny and he smiled warmly, walking over to her. In the process, he fell to his knees and hit the table with his arm.

"Help!" Penny cried. Kate rushed over and helped Penny prop him up. Desmond's eyes were fluttering, and he was muttering to himself. Claire burst through the door and took in the scene, her eyes wide with shock.

"Get a first aid kit! It's in the bunk room!" Kate yelled. Claire ran off as Desmond began to wake.


	9. Broken Songs

Everything had moved in slow motion. Desmond was on the ground seizing and miles away Charlie was doing the same thing. James surged forward and then Desmond became Juliet, crying out in pain. He tried to reach her, but the room got longer, and he started to run in place. "Juliet! I'm coming!"

"James, are you alright?" Kate asked quietly. Sawyer looked up. He and Kate were sitting at the kitchen table, dim light coming from an overhead lamp. Kate was patching up his arm. Her hands moved carefully and steadily, as if she had stitched someone up before. Sawyer heard her counting under her breath. She looked tired, her eyes had bags under them and her long dark hair was pulled into a messy bun.

"Desmond got you pretty good, huh?" Kate asked. She smiled and then looked back down at what she was doing. The smile seemed forced; Sawyer could tell that her mind was miles away. She didn't know it, but he felt the same way.

"Ahh," Sawyer winced and looked away as Kate poured antiseptic on the wound. Sawyer wasn't usually the kind of guy to get squeamish, the wound wasn't deep at all, but getting your arm scratched by a guy who was convulsing on the ground didn't feel to comfortable.

"Sorry," Kate said apologetically. She dabbed a bit of the alcohol off with a cotton ball and then covered the area with gauze. Sawyer reached over and put pressure on the wound with his other hand, pressing firmly to keep a grip on reality.

They sat in complete silence, apart from the occasional wince from Sawyer as Kate moved her attention to another scratch further down his arm that looked a bit more serious. From the other room, Sawyer heard Penny fretting over Desmond as he lay in bed. "Finished," Kate said, "I'm gonna go see if she needs any help in there." she added, motioning to the open doorway.

Sawyer nodded his understanding, "I'll go check on Claire and the munchkins." Sawyer wondered how they were doing. He knew what it felt like to witness your parents suffer. No kid should have to go through that alone.

Kate smiled slightly before walking over to Penny, who was closing the curtains to alleviate Desmond's headache. Sawyer got up himself, and walked past the room. He could distinctly hear Desmond was saying that he was alright, that he just needed rest. Sawyer chuckled grimly to himself. If the others were fooled, he wasn't. He'd lied, conned, cheated, and stretched the truth enough to the point where he could tell when a person was being honest. Desmond wasn't.

Sawyer walked down the hall alone and remembered the last time he was on a ship. He and Kate had sailed to Hydra island, got on a plane, and left the island for good. They had found Claire, and Sawyer had almost tried to leave her behind on the beach alone; again.

Sawyer finally made it to the kids' room. He stopped at the doorway.

"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket.."

He could hear Claire was singing a lullaby to the boys while her voice shook slightly.  
Sawyer knocked politely before entering to give Claire the time she needed to wipe away the tears he knew she would try to hide. Charlie was in pain, and she couldn't stop it.

The lullaby stopped. Sawyer heard a sniff, and the sound of Claire taking a deep breath. He waited a bit longer before peaking his head in the door.

"'m I interrupting?" he whispered, "If I am, I can leave." Claire turned and smiled at him. She was holding Aaron's hand, and smoothing back Charlie's hair with the other. You almost left her, Sawyer reminded himself.

"No, it's alright." She whispered back softly in her thick Australian accent. "I just got them to fall asleep." Seeing her there with Aaron, made his stomach churn in guilt.  
"I'm sorry." Sawyer said abruptly. He couldn't help it, it had to come out eventually. Claire looked at him, obviously confused.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Claire got up to leave. Her hand lingered in Aaron's before she let go and then they both left the room. Claire closed the door softly behind her.

"Sorry for what?" she asked. Sawyer looked at her, expecting the worse; even though she was no longer crazy, she still sometimes seemed distant and angry.

"I didn't looked hard enough." he got out. She waited for him to finish. "When you went missin', and I found your kid in the jungle, I didn't look for you hard enough. And then, after Jack and Co. came back to the island, and we planned to leave, it was my choice to leave you behind. Not Jack's."

"I'm so sorry Claire, it was my fault you ended up the way you did, and then I tried to leave you without Aaron again." Sawyer said, referring to the plane. He stopped and looked down, too ashamed to face her. Claire stood silent for a while, contemplating her response.

"It's okay," she said finally, "I forgive you." Sawyer looked up in surprise.  
"Just like that? You a'int even gonna yell at me, Blondie?" Claire reached over and hugged him. Sawyer felt relieved, and protectiveness surged through him. He would not let anything bad happen to her again. Not on his life.

"Charlie will be alright you know." He said to her, patting her back, "I'll make sure of it."


	10. Planning Ahead

Claire stood hand in hand with Aaron above-deck. It was a beautiful day; the chill morning air swirled the dense fog around and around over the surface of the water. Claire could just barley see a few feet ahead; Kate, Sawyer, Desmond, and Penny were bickering in hushed voices on the docks. A cold wind blew past Claire, trying to chill her to the bone. She shivered, but not from the cold. They had finally arrived at their destination, and the full reality of what they were doing had finally hit Claire. _We don't have a next move, _she thought glumly to herself. She couldn't be sure, but she guessed that the others were fighting over 'the plan'. Right now, they were in a Marina close to London, having sailed along the Thames river, and they had no idea where they would go next.

Aaron tugged on Claire's wrist, twisting impatiently in an effort to explore. Claire didn't respond to Aaron's persistence straight away, so he yanked on Claire's shirt to get her attention. She pushed thoughts of Charlie out of her mind and looked down. Aaron was looking up at her with his big, innocent blue eyes. Claire's heart melted at the sight of him, and she held him closer. He was wearing an oversized sweatshirt, one of Kate's, and he was staring at her curiously.

"Momma, what are they fightin' about?" he asked and pointed to the group with a chubby hand. Claire looked back at her friends. Sawyer seemed to be angry about something; he was pointing and gesturing madly. Kate was trying to calm him down. It took Claire a moment to realize that he was pointing at her. In his anger, Sawyer had forgotten to keep quiet, allowing Claire to listen.

"There's no way that Claire and the munchkins are comin' with us!" He yelled loudly. Kate tried again to quiet him, but he continued with the same intensity.

"We all know it'll be dangerous, so unless the Seer over here has seen them gettin' back on this boat alive, they ain't comin." He finished defiantly before glaring at them all, silently daring them to argue back. Beside him, Desmond nodded in agreement. Kate stood silently with her arms crossed, lost in thought.

Claire rolled her eyes from aboard the ship. She appreciated Sawyer's concern, and understood his guilt, but she could take care of herself perfectly fine. She _had_ survived on the island alone for three years after all. No one had helped her then. Finally fed up, Claire hopped out of the boat, picked up Aaron and walked over to the others.

"I think we all need to talk about this somewhere else," Claire cautioned. She gestured to the other people on the boardwalk a little ways off. Sawyer turned around to locate the voice. When he saw Claire, he sighed in an exasperated manner. Penny saw Aaron, and left to go wake Charlie from his nap.

"I'm guessin' you want to come too, Indiana?" Sawyer asked. Desmond and Kate looked to Claire for a response. Claire thought about Charlie, how much she missed him and wanted to see him more than anything, and then about her son and Penny's, and how she didn't want for them to be in any danger. She absentmindedly twirled the driveshaft ring that she now wore around her neck before answering.

"I think...", Claire said evenly putting emphasis on each word, "I think that we need to figure out where it is we're going before we do anything else." Aaron waved to Kate and she smiled. Penny returned with Charlie on her hip and looked around at them all, wanting to be filled in. When Aaron caught sight of Charlie, he twisted in Claire's grip, reaching out with his other hand to his friend. Claire walked over to Penny and Charlie so Aaron could say hello.

"Well, whatever we do, somebody is gonna have to stay behind with the kids." Sawyer reminded them all. Claire sighed, this is what she had been dreading. The choice of Charlie or her son. Charlie and Aaron started to play tag, but Penny stopped them.

"I can stay with them." Penny offered politely. Desmond nodded, Claire knew he didn't want his family to be in danger.

"Claire should stay too." Desmond began, "With her son. Sawyer, Kate, and I can-"

"No, this is Charlie we're talking about, okay. I'm going to help him." Claire interjected. She refused to be left behind again. She stared daggers at Sawyer who had opened his mouth to argue.

"How about we get some food first?" Kate suggested, "Our supply is almost gone." She looked around at them all, her expression pleading. Charlie and Aaron were pulled from their conversation at the mention of food.

"Ice cream?" Charlie asked. Aaron looked up at Claire and began to plead.

"Mommy, can we get ice cream? Pleeeease?" he begged. Claire noticed Kate smiling to herself; apparently Aaron really enjoyed ice cream. Desmond laughed and exchanged a look with Penny. She nodded.

"Of course you can have ice cream Charlie." He said. Charlie laughed and ran to his father. Sawyer looked around at them all, obviously displeased at the detour.

"Waste of time," Claire heard him mutter. Claire let Aaron toddle over to Kate who picked up and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you!" He said happily. Claire laughed, glad that her son was happy.

"Fine, w'ell eat" Sawyer conceded. Kate smiled satisfied that she had stopped the argument.

The group leisurely walked along the boardwalk and picked a place to eat. Desmond and Penny pointed out various restaurants, and they finally decided on a seafood place. Sawyer had difficultly picking only one meal, and ended up ordering almost everything on the menu. Desmond and Penny split a platter of fish and chips, with extra tartar sauce, and the boys had macaroni. Afterwards, due to the boys' persistence they entered an ice cream parlor, unaware of who they would meet there.


	11. You All Everybody

Liam stood in line at the ice cream parlor with his family. His business in London would only last one more day, and he wanted to take the last day to relax. Megan was holding his index finger to balance herself as she twirled around on the floor.

Liam chuckled to himself as a big group walked in; a brunette who was walking next to a man with long hair, a couple with an extremely curly brown haired son, and a blonde women with a son as well. The little boys were struggling against their mothers' hands trying to be first in line.

Liam looked away and back to big menu hanging on the wall behind the counter. While he was trying to choose between rocky road or triple fudge, he caught the blonde woman staring curiously at him; just for a second. Liam glanced down and saw she was holding her son's hand tightly while he squirmed.

"Be patient," the blonde women whispered, she sounded Australian. Megan stopped dancing and looked at the group curiously. They got in line behind Liam just as the line moved forward. The two men got in line on either side of the women, in protective stances. They stared around the room, and they seemed nervous about something.

Liam wondered what kind of trouble they were in; they were too jumpy to be up to anything good. While they were looking away, Liam looked over at them again. That's when he noticed it; Kate Austin, one of the survivors of Oceanic 815 was standing in line behind Liam. She was wearing sunglasses and a large hat, but he was sure that it was her. He looked around, no one else had noticed her, and she was glancing nervously behind her back. It didn't make sense for her to be here, she had been sentenced to stay in California for 10 years- Liam was sure of it, he had followed the story closely from home. According to the rest of the survivors, she had tried to save Charlie's life when he drowned.

The line moved forward again. Liam had to be dragged along by Megan before he came out of his shock. Liam shook the thought from his mind; it couldn't have been her. He was next, so he paid for three cones and walked over to Karen, who had been holding a table. She smiled warmly as he handed her a vanilla cone. He sat Megan down and then slid into the booth after her. He watched the strangers intensely out of the corner of his eye.

"Momma, can I get a big scoop? And a really big cone?" The blonde boy asked of his mother. Oddly enough, Liam noted, he had no accent. She pushed her equally blonde hair behind her ears, smiled at him and then replied.

"You can have a small scoop, in a cup," she said gently, laughing slightly, "I don't want you dribbling ice cream down the front of your shirt." She poked his belly playfully. She then ordered, paid and looked for a place to sit down. She finally found a large booth big enough for her group across from Liam's table. She sat with her son on her lap and waved to her friends to let them know that she had found somewhere for them. The taller man with long, light brown hair waved back sarcastically and smirked. He moved forward in line, side by side with Austin.

"You wanna just share one, Freckles?" he asked in a sarcastic southern voice, "I'm short on cash". Austin smiled at the southern man, rolled her eyes, and then paid for two separate scoops with her own money. The two sat down with the Australian woman. Finally, it was the last members, Liam decided that they were a family; they seemed that way.

"And what would you like to eat, Charlie?" the blonde woman asked her son. Liam's heart gave a jolt at the name; this all couldn't be coincidence. Maybe it was a sign of some sort.

"Liam, are you all right?" Karen asked in worried tone. Liam could see the back of the Australian's head snap of for a moment. The southern caught Liam staring and mumbled something into Austin's ear. Her eyes widened and she glanced at Liam. Her expression softened and she whispered something back; they both looked away.

"Yeah, 'm fine." Liam replied shakily not taking his eyes off of them. Karen grabbed his hand.

"Liam, look at me." she pleaded. Liam looked her in the eyes and smiled.

"It's nothing," he said dismissively. His focus went back to his family. For a while, the room was filled with cheerful chatter and Liam busied himself with recounting an office story to Karen halfheartedly. Every chance he got, he snuck a glance at the group.

The final family moved to sit down when their son slipped on the ground.

"Charlie!" the blonde woman exclaimed with an accent similar to Liam's; maybe from farther north.

The boy landed on his arm and started to cry. People started to move away uncomfortably. The blonde picked him up and soothed him, patting his back and rocking him back and forth. Austin leapt up to help, and the Australian woman followed with her own son. The dark haired man took his son from his wife and carried him over to the booth. Austin and the two blondes followed.

As they were walking back, a glint caught Liam's eye. The Australian woman stood outside the booth while the others got situated. Austin was inspecting the crying boy's arm. Liam glanced over again, looking for what had caused the flash of light. Finally, he noticed it; hanging around the woman's neck was Charlie's ring.

_"Take it. Mum would have wanted it this way. Pass it on to your little one someday,"_ Liam remembered saying to Charlie.

Liam jumped up slightly and nearly knocked over his drink. He stood up shakily, balancing himself against the back of the booth with his hand. Liam's heart was pounding. He looked closely at the blonde boy who was holding his mother's hand and telling his friend that it was okay. His eyes searched the boy's face; his eyes, nose, mouth, hair, looking for some similarities, any, to his brother. Karen was yanking on his arm. He looked at her for a split second; her mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. All he could hear was his brother's voice in his head talking, singing, laughing, yelling at him for causing him to turn to drugs.

Liam yanked his hand from Karen's grip and walked across the parlor purposefully. He pushed past people and moved them aside, out of his way. He finally reached the group across from his table. They looked up at him, some curiously, others threateningly. He walked right up the the Australian, glanced at her son; possibly his own nephew, and asked in the steadiest voice he could manage,

"Where did you get that ring?"


	12. Whatever Happened, Happened

The noise of crashing waves was everywhere, mingled with the sharp sounds of birds flying overhead, free from the troubles of people, and the familiar sound of fire crackling. Jacob sat alone on the beach, contemplating his life with the time he had, and what he was about to do. _Am I doing the right thing?_ he questioned himself.

Jacob had always questioned himself; it made him a stronger person and protector of the island. Recently, with Richard helping, Jacob hadn't needed to question himself, Richard had taken care of that. _Recently_, Jacob scoffed at the word. What was recent for him was ages ago for others. Time moves differently when you're immortal.

He hadn't wanted to be immortal, to be the protector of the island, it just happened. It was supposed to be Jacob's brother, he was the special one. And then, he had angered Mother and the job was forced onto Jacob. Protect the island at all costs.

And now, Jacob was sitting on the beach, ignoring his own rules, waiting to do something that he knew he shouldn't be doing. He wasn't supposed to interfere; he wasn't supposed to get involved. But Jacob couldn't help himself. He had a feeling, an intuition, that he was meant to this time. That he was meant to interfere.

All he had to do was wait. Just then, it happened. The sky lit up, and the waves, and the birds, and the fire, were replaced by a deafening, high pitched noise. Jacob covered his ears and waited for it to stop. His head pounded; he was only human after all.

Jacob's surroundings were replaced. It was now noon, and raining slightly. The ocean was calmer, almost like glass. Next to Jacob was a thick, black wire running through the sand. Something loud was crashing through the trees behind Jacob; he could hear voices. He moved out of the way and hid behind a tree just in time.

Charlie and Desmond marched onto the beach pulling an outrigger behind them. They walked over to the wire and ran it over the outrigger. Charlie sat down and brought out a crumpled note from his pocket. Hugo came running up to the two. Jacob watched the scene happen before his eyes:

"Just know that I love you man." Charlie told Hugo sadly as he hugged his best friend for the last time.

"Yeah, whatever Dude, love you too." came Hurley's reply. He marched off the beach, completely unaware of Charlie's sacrifice, and Charlie watched him go sadly.

_I'm definitely making the right choice_, Jacob told himself. He continued waiting, this time with anticipation.

The time went by quickly for Jacob, each minute lasting only a brief moment. While he waited, Jacob thought of the others; the other survivors who were in the jungle right now, confused, their noses bleeding, unaware that their friend was alive. Jacob wondered if they had known, would they try and stop Charlie. Hugo would have, Claire as well. _They have no idea why I'm putting them through this_, Jacob thought, almost guiltily. Desmond and Charlie left; the only one left to wait for now was Mikhail.

Jacob paced back and forth impatiently. Across the sea, he saw Charlie hit Desmond on the head with a paddle. Jacob watched Charlie stand still for a moment, taking his last breaths, and then jump into the ocean. It was almost time now. Mikhail came running out of the jungle and caught sight of Desmond, who had just woken up. He fired, again and again. Jacob watched from his hiding place, he just let it happen. He knew he couldn't change what was about to happen. Desmond dived, and Mikhail went after him into the deep, leaving Jacob with his thoughts.

He walked out of the trees and sighed. It would be awhile, before he could set his plan into motion. He sat back down on the beach and waited. The sun sank down and the sky burst into a canvas of color. No matter how tired or frustrated he got, Jacob never ceased to be amazed by the view. Everything was so peaceful above the waves that were hiding the turmoil within.

It was time. Jacob stood up with purpose, confident in what he needed to do. Slowly, but surely, Jacob waded into the water until he was waist deep, and then took a deep breath. He dived, immersing himself in the water, and swam forward powerfully. He finally caught sight of the station, and Mikhail in his gear outside the window. Jacob swam down below as the water rippled in the shockwave. He swam up through the moon pool, he barely needed to take a breath, let alone gasp for air. Desmond ran over to Charlie when he heard Penny's voice.

At that moment, Jacob rose and concealed himself in another room with a view what was happening. Two of his people lay dead on the floor; Jacob promised himself that he would bury them later.

He watched, calmly, as Desmond desperately tried to free his friend. Jacob watched passively, as the room filled with water and Charlie drowned. It didn't matter to feel emotional, not to Jacob. All the mattered was protecting the island. Desmond left in a rush, concerned about Charlie's final message. He took one last look at his friend before diving. For a moment, Jacob felt pity stir up inside him, and he almost wished that he could save Charlie, right there, so he could go back to his people. Jacob shook the feeling. _The island_, he reminded himself. _They will think he's dead, for the island._

Jacob ran over to the room and pushed the emergency switch concealed within the wall. Within seconds, the room had drained through a separate opening, while a blast door covered the porthole. Satisfied, Jacob threw open the door using the hidden key.  
Jacob walked into the room and bent over Charlie, checking him for signs of life; he was nearly dead.

"Come on Charlie," he muttered to himself. Jacob reached out with his hand and grasped Charlie's shoulder. Life surged through Charlie, and his eyes flew open. He coughed and looked up at Jacob questionably.

"What happened to me? Am I dead? Who are you?" Charlie asked groggily. He pushed himself up and put a hand to his forehead, his eyes blinked rapidly.

"I'm Jacob." he said plainly. Charlie nodded, confused. His eyes were burning with questions, like a child's. Charlie's head suddenly fell back again, and he nearly blacked out.

"What I need for you to do now Charlie is to swim out of here," Jacob commanded, "You're going to pass out again, but when you wake up... swim out, and you'll find me on the beach. I'll be waiting for you to answer any questions you may have." He looked at Charlie who was already fading. It was imperative that Charlie knew what he needed to do.

"Charlie! Charlie listen to me. I have a job I need you to do." Charlie passed out.

Jacob swam ashore. It was late now, the stars twinkled innocently above. The moon reflected in the ocean. Desmond was already gone, as were the others.

He felt confident that Charlie would make it out in time for them to talk. The flashes wouldn't happen to Charlie for a while, not until he caught up to where his friends were in time. The people who flashed here currently weren't in the same time as Charlie, they were only passing through, and they'd be somewhere else tomorrow, as would Jacob. Charlie's current friends were on their way to meet Jack, certain that Charlie was dead. Just as it should be.

Jacob smiled to himself as he set another fire. His plan had worked; Charlie was meant to live. Whatever happened, happened. The flames leapt up to the sky and the embers joined the stars. Charlie was alive and was always supposed to have lived; only no one had known it.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise behind Jacob. He turned, but only slightly before looking out at the ocean. He knew who it was. Jacob's brother sat beside him and looked at the stars.

"Nice night," he began casually. He stretched out his hands over the fire while looking sidelong at Jacob, squinting slightly in the light.

"It is," Jacob replied evenly, "beautiful" he added. "Is there something you want?" He asked after a lengthy pause. Jacob's brother scoffed and pointed out at the sea.

"I know what you did," he said angrily, "I thought it was against the rules to interfere." he said in a mocking tone.

"Sometimes rules have to be broken." Jacob answered back, "This was one of those times."

"You know what's going to happen now, don't you?" his brother asked, "You know what he's going to go through, what his people are going to go through, what you have put me through for years!" He exclaimed angrily, "You care nothing for the lives of these people, nothing! All you care about is this island!" He thrust his hand into the sand to make his point.

"Is there something that you want?" Jacob asked of his brother again, tone neutral, but slightly threatening. He kept his demeanor calm and steady, giving nothing away. His brother may wear his emotions, but Jacob refused to let his take control. Not after the last time he had cared and killed his own brother, leaving the monster sitting beside him.

"You shouldn't have done it." His brother said stonily, "you should have let him die when it was his choice, and he had an opportunity to leave this island peacefully. He was supposed to die."

Jacob ignored his brother and looked out at the ocean. He knew that his brother was wrong, but deep down, a small part of Jacob wondered if he was right.


	13. Walkin' After Midnight

"So,... what you're telling me, and correct me if I'm wrong here...but, the Oceanic Six lied about everything?" Liam asked skeptically. He lifted his head slightly to regard them all, after having frequently looked down and shaking it in disbelief. They were all back on Desmond's boat; speaking about the lie in public didn't sit well with anyone. Liam had been angry at first, demanding answers, but he had finally agreed to meet them privately.

For a moment, there was silence as each person in the room tried and failed to have the nerve to speak first. Kate looked to the others, secretly hoping that one of them would be the one to answer. James sat on the chair in the corner, his legs outstretched and his arms crossed, staring moodily ahead; next to Kate, was Claire, who was looking down guiltily and biting her lip; Desmond and Penny sat hand in hand on the couch, looking slightly uncomfortable. Kate decided to take initiative.

"Yes," she replied, her tone soft and understanding, "Yes, we did it to protect the people we left behind." Sawyer huffed from the corner. Even to Kate, it sounded like a weak justification for what she had done; for what they all had done. The families of everyone on the plane believed their loved ones to be dead for three years. Now, most of them were dead; only a few remained alive on the island, all willingly.

"And what about the other bit?" Liam asked, wringing his hands, "What of the bit about the island, and the smoke monster that eats people? What about this... this, Dharma Initiative, and mental island natives!" again, he shook his head in disbelief, this time laughing to himself "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"No," Kate whispered honestly, "We don't. But it is the truth."

Liam looked away and locked eyes with Claire, "And what about my brother? You're telling me that he isn't dead." Kate realized that everything they said had been so totally overwhelming, they had almost forgotten about Charlie. Claire shifted uncomfortably and forced herself to look up. She seemed so lost, that Kate reached over and squeezed her hand for encouragement. Claire smiled back at Kate and then took a deep, steadying breath. Apparently, she took too long because Liam exploded impatiently.

"Look, I came here for answers, I want to know if Charlie's alive, and if he is, why you lied and let me believe that he was dead for three years! I want the truth!" He leapt up from the couch angrily, Kate stood up and put out her hand warningly.

"Hey!" she said aloud, "We all just need to calm down." she looked around the room and to the others for support.

"Calm down?!" Liam roared. He rubbed the back of his neck, then ran his hand through his hair nervously and glanced around the room erratically, all while shaking slightly. _Like a caged animal_, Kate noticed. Liam took a shaky breath and then glared at Claire. He lowered his voice to just above a whisper and asked threateningly, "How can you expect me to just calm down, when you _lied_?"

"Easy," Sawyer said, standing up as well. His tall form easily towered over Liam's. "You better relax, Copperfield " he snarled in a low, threatening voice. "She's been through enough." For a second, Liam looked ashamed, and Kate realized that he was just worried about his little brother; she had acted the same way when she thought Aaron was being taken from her. Liam was just scared.

"I'm sorry." he apologized, "I- It's just... I came here, I met you here, my wife doesn't even know where I am... I- I just want to know if my baby brother is alright. If he's okay." his voice broke, "I'm the reason he was on that plane." he confessed. He hung his head. "I'm sorry." he repeated, "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do."

"It's okay," Kate said understandingly. She kept her tone gentle and kind, the way she had when she told Aaron that Claire was his mother, "Now why don't we all just sit down again. We can talk through this, Okay?" she pleaded, looking mainly at Sawyer, who seemed poised to attack.

"Alright," Liam finally conceded, "I'll sit down." Kate smiled encouragingly at Sawyer, who was clearly not pleased, and managed to get him to sit down.

"Now," Liam began, "Charlie, is he alive?" his eyes were full of pain as he waited for an answer.

"Aye brother, I saw him." said Desmond, speaking for the first time.

"You saw him?" Liam asked excitedly, "You saw him alive? Why didn't you say something, take me to him!"

"Well, not exactly," Desmond explained, "I had a vision, and in it he-"

"A vision!?" Liam's face fell. "This is all just a joke, isn't it? And you're all lying to me aren't you?" he ranted, "I'm done with this, I'm leaving." he got up and made for the door.

Sawyer jumped up to block him. "Just where do you think you're going?" he questioned.

"James!" Kate cried. "Let him go!" Sawyer glared at her angrily. Kate was taken aback, Sawyer never got this angry at her.

"Don't you '_James_' me, Freckles!" Sawyer snarled, "This was a bad idea from the get-go, lettin' him in on our secret?" Sawyer yelled disbelieving, "How do we know he ain't gonna waltz off and tell someone?"

"Liam, wait." Claire stood up and reached for the chain around her neck, "This ring, it's proof that we're telling the truth." She held it aloft for Charlie's brother to see. "There's no other way I could have gotten it but from him." Liam paused just long enough for her to reach into her pocket and pull out a slightly crumpled piece of paper that someone had obviously attempted to smooth. She unfolded it carefully, and as Kate noticed, with shaking hands.

"Your brother wrote this," she said in her kind Australian accent. She held it out begrudgingly to Liam. "He wrote it to me when he thought he was going to die. It's the five greatest moments of his life." she finished in a whisper.

Liam's eyes went from the paper, to the door and back again. Finally he reached out and took it from Claire, holding it lightly like it would shatter at any moment. "It's his handwriting." he muttered through barely concealed sobs. They waited as he read. When he finished, his eyes rose to meet Claire. "So...he loved you?" he asked her. She nodded slightly, also crying.

"And he gave you the ring, for your son?" he asked. Again, Claire nodded. "Is he-" Laim shifted his weight, "Is he Charlie's son?" Claire took a deep breath.

"Not biologically, I was pregnant before I met Charlie, but he loved Aaron like his own son... and in my mind he will always be his father." This time, Liam nodded. "I believe you."

That night, after Liam had left and everyone else was asleep, Kate wandered around the boat, deep in thought. First, she went to the kitchen and saw an opened box of cereal. She picked it up gingerly and remembered all the times she and Jack had eaten breakfast together, how he had been the one to pour Aaron's cereal. She sat at the table and cried for awhile, letting it all out. Her family was gone; Jack was dead, and Aaron- _She's got you_, she thought miserably, _No matter what, Aaron will be Claire's baby_.

Without knowing how, Kate found herself standing outside the bunk-room doorway. She could hear someone inside sobbing silently. Kate pushed the door open slightly. Sawyer was already asleep, breathing deeply. Kate wondered if he was still mad at her; the boys were also sleeping soundly. Aaron rolled over and stretched. Tears fell down Kate's cheeks as she watched him reach for Claire, his mother. _I love you goober_, she thought sadly.

That's when Kate realized that the person sobbing was Claire. She was curled up in a ball on her bed, facing the wall, and her whole body was shaking. Kate backed away, guilty that she had intruded. As soon as she was sure she couldn't be heard, Kate's walk became a run.

Too alert to sleep, Kate wandered above deck, and looked out at the stars. It was a beautiful night, the moon shone brightly above and the stars made the water sparkle. The boat rocked gently back and forth, calming Kate and allowing her to relax. She sat down and leaned against the railing. _It's so quiet_, Kate marveled.

She sat there, for how long she couldn't have guessed. Just as she was about to go back below, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Someone was standing out on the dock, in the shadows where there wasn't a lamp above. Kate stared, but whoever it was, they were gone.

_I'm just imaging things_, Kate convinced herself. Still, she backed up slowly, never taking her eyes from the dock. She made it below deck safely, and locked the door behind her. The latch made a satisfying _click_, and Kate left for bed.

Outside, a mysterious figure got into their car and sped away.


	14. Friends in Low Places

Sawyer landed on the wood floor with a loud thump. "No..." he groaned and swatted at the air lazily. He kept his eyes closed tight, too exhausted to try to figure out how he ended up on the floor instead of his bunk.

"Is he awake?" A voice whispered cautiously. A small hand poked him in the back. "Is he dead?"

"I dunno," someone answered in a hushed voice, "You rolled him out of bed. Not me" Sawyer chuckled to himself when he realized who it was. _It wouldn't hurt to play along..._ he told himself. One of the little rascals shook him lightly, and Sawyer made his move.

"Arghh!" he leapt up playfully. Charlie and Aaron screamed in shock. Charlie stumbled and almost fell, his curly blonde hair bounced up and down. Sawyer laughed. The boys recovered when they noticed he was just having fun too. Charlie looked to Aaron and he nodded; they used their combined weight to push him back onto the ground.

Sawyer looked around the room while the boys jumped up and down on him and noticed that both Kate and Claire had already left. He had tried to ignore it, but he had overheard Claire crying over Charlie last night. He'd pretended to be asleep when Kate walked in for a moment. He had wanted to go after her, but he figured she wanted to be alone.

"I'm a pirate!" Charlie yelled, while pinning Sawyer down, "I'm captain, get some rope, brotha!" he yelled proudly. Sawyer couldn't help but laugh when the kid said "brother" the way Desmond always did. He wondered if Clementine had any of his traits.

"Aye, aye!" Aaron shouted back, "And I'm a cowboy! Don't let him up!" Aaron ran around the room, looking for something to tie Sawyer up with.

"Now you wait just one minute!" Sawyer cried, and struggled noncommittally. He pretended to be scared.

"Don't move!" Charlie ordered, and pointed at Sawyer, "You under arrest!" he said in his high-pitched child's voice. Sawyer chuckled and decided to go along with their game just a little longer.

"Wanna make a deal?" he asked Charlie. Charlie shook his head, and Aaron returned, somehow dragging a large coil of rope behind his back. He handed it to Charlie and gave him a salute. "Hey!" Sawyer yelled as they began to tie him up, "No fair!"

"You broke the law, Mr. Fowd!" Aaron yelled, mispronouncing Sawyer's last name, "And now you gotta go to...to..."

"Jail!" broke in Charlie as he bounced up and down with excitement. "Put him in the brig!" They had no idea where to put him, so they simply closed the door instead. They stood guard and whispered not too quietly to each other. Sawyer began to wonder how much longer this would go on for; he was beginning to get hungry, and he wanted to apologize to Kate and see how Claire was doing.

"Should we ask questions?" Aaron asked Charlie. Charlie shrugged.

"You two wanna know something?" he asked them. They looked at each other, deciding what to do.

"Remember," Aaron whispered, "he doesn't have...what's the word?"

"Authority?" Sawyer offered. Aaron shook his head.

"Control!" yelled Charlie.

"Control," Aaron agreed. Their minds were made up. Aaron nodded to him, and Charlie moved forward towards Sawyer. Aaron stayed guard.

"What?" He asked suspiciously. He slapped a wooden sword in his hand and paced around Sawyer. He laughed again.

"There's a new Sheriff in town boys!" Sawyer proclaimed, standing up. "And he don't like pirates!" Aaron and Charlie froze and stared at him, their eyes wide. They backed up slowly until they hit the wall. Sawyer grinned playfully just as he heard footsteps.

The door to the room opened and Kate peaked her head in. She caught sight of James, standing up with rope tied loosely around his chest and arms. He looked at her for help, desperate to escape from the situation. For a moment, Kate stood still, taking it all in, and then she burst out laughing. She clutched her sides and slid to the floor.

"What's going on here?" she asked through barely suppressed giggles.

"How ya doin' Freckles?" Sawyer asked her casually.

"Momma, why does he call you Freggles?" Aaron asked her, confused. Sawyer noticed that the munchkin still thought of Kate as his mom as well as Claire.

Kate smiled sadly, "It's just an old nickname," she informed him. Aaron nodded his head up and down.

"We tied up the Sheriff!" Aaron told her proudly, forgetting entirely about the nickname. He tried to stand a little taller to show her that he was tough. She ruffled his blonde hair, and smiled.

"He doesn't like pirates, brotha!" Charlie added. He flashed a glare at Sawyer and pointed angrily with a chubby arm. Sawyer pretended to appear offended.

"Now, you wait just a minute! I didn't mean it!" Sawyer argued playfully, "Honest!" Kate grinned at him. _Thank you_, she mouthed.

"All right, but the sheriff and I need to talk now." Kate told them. She gave Sawyer a look that meant whatever she had to say was important. Aaron looked dejectedly at the ground.

"Awww!" they complained in unison. Charlie tossed his sword onto his bed and sat down on the floor with a thump. "I like playing with the sheriff." Aaron complained in a small voice. He too sat down in a defeated manner.

"I'll need your badge, Sheriff." Kate teased. The boys looked up, interested. Sawyer pretended to not want to give in. He shook his head. And then, he remembered that Kate had something important to tell him.

"Oh, all right." he said with mock bitterness. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an invisible badge which he handed over to Kate. The boys cheered and clapped. Aaron hugged Kate's leg and then ran over to give Charlie a high-five. They whooped joyfully.

"Go on, get some breakfast Goobers." Kate smiled at them. They ran out of the room, Charlie yelling at the top of his voice, "We got the sheriff! We tied him up!" Kate and Sawyer left Penny and Claire to figure out what they meant.

"Can we talk up on deck?" she asked him cautiously. Sawyer nodded his consent. Personally, he would rather talk down here where no one could overhear them. But Kate usually got what she wanted, so there wasn't much point in arguing with her.

"So, what is it, Freckles?" he asked Kate once they were out and in the sun. The unusual outburst of warmth permeated his skin; it reminded Sawyer of the island. A light breeze played through his and Kate's hair.

"You're good with kids," she told him while completely ignoring his question. She seemed upset, but unable to let out what she needed to tell him.

"Look, Kate, I'm sorry about last night I didn't-"

"I don't care about that James, I've already forgiven you... It's something else. It happened last night" Kate began slowly.

"You mean when you were wandering around the boat?" he interrupted her casually. She laughed to herself, in a manner that said _I should have known_. She ran a hand through her long brown hair and then nodded.

"I came up on deck, because I couldn't sleep...and I noticed something." she looked down before continuing, "I swear, I saw someone staring at our boat, but when I looked closer, they disappeared." She pointed a little ways down the dock to the spot. Sawyer walked forward and stared, although he had no way of doing anything about it yet.

Kate walked over next to him and looked out at the docks. "I need to protect my son." she whispered. "Will you help me? If they come back?" she looked at him pleadingly, begging for his help. Sawyer sighed and then nodded.

"Sure." They stood quietly for a while, and listened as the boys recounted their story to Claire. She laughed happily, and Sawyer knew that he needed to protect his friends at any costs.

"You two need to find a better hiding place." came a snide voice from behind them. Sawyer whipped around and laughed grimly. Standing before him was the one and only Benjamin Linus, squinting slightly in the sunlight and smiling up at them mischievously. Kate shook her head angrily.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned him.

"You do realize that you're being watched...don't you?" he asked them coolly. He spoke to them slowly as if he were talking to small children. "Am I the _only one_ who has managed to maintain some sort of cover?" he goaded. Sawyer rolled his eyes.

"What are you doin' here, bunny killer?" he asked in a rude tone. Ben chuckled lightly.

"Hugo sent me to save you," Ben replied, "Unless, of course, you don't want me to. Personally I thought it was a waste of time" He trailed off and turned around to leave. Sawyer was infuriated to see a smirk play across his lips. Just as Ben had wanted, Sawyer knew couldn't let the little weasel leave without finding out how he knew where they were.

"Hey Ben! Hold up!" Sawyer called out. Ben looked up at them, and smiled. Kate glared at Sawyer, but he shrugged back and shook his head, saying without words _What else was I supposed to do?_

Ben smiled to himself again before looking back up at them. "Mind if I come in?"


	15. Everything's Not Lost

It had never been, nor would it ever be, easy to trust Benjamin Linus. For one thing, he was a senseless killer, and his loyalties changed with his every mood. For another, it was nearly impossible to discern who he was loyal to at any given moment and whether he was lying or telling the truth about it - either way, he was insistent that he was being honest, so insistent in fact, it seemed even he believed his lies; anything to accomplish his goals. Sometimes, he would conceal lies within truths to manipulate whomever he wanted.

All of this swam through Desmond's mind as he sat before the man who had tried to kill his wife and had shot him in the arm. Ben was also the man who had recently saved his life. And now, Ben was sitting opposite Desmond, smiling politely, on Desmond's own boat, and insisting that he was telling the truth; again.

"I'm telling you the truth." Ben said adamantly. His face remained impassive, yet cordial. Ben smiled politely at them all, and gave no indication of stress, fear, or anything other than the utmost sincerity. "I'm working for Hugo now. He's the 'new Jacob'- for lack of a better word, and he appointed _me_ his advisor." he referred to himself with the just slightest hint of pride. Sawyer, who was leaning against the wall, narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean, the new Jacob?" Kate interjected. She walked forward cautiously from the doorway. Her eyes flicked back and forth, searching Ben's face for answers. "I thought that protecting the island was Jack's job. He took over -I know he did." Desmond felt as though his heart had dropped into into his stomach; the last he had seen of Jack, he had been gravely injured. They all waited for his explanation.

"Jack is dead. He gave the job to Hurley before he died." Ben said the words slowly, lingering on each syllable, for once showing his true emotions and letting a hint of sadness through his facade. Desmond lowered his head in disbelief.

"No..., no he can't..." Kate whispered quietly but furiously. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. Everyone else seemed to be in shock. Claire looked completely and utterly lost. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared off into space, visibly unable to make sense of any of it. Sawyer just stood in the corner with his arms crossed, glaring angrily at Ben. Desmond leaned forward, propelled by so many emotions, and let go of Penny's shaking hand.

"Are you sure?"

"I buried him, why wouldn't I be?" Ben replied hastily.

At this, Kate broke down sobbing; she slid down the wall as her knees gave in, and she landed hard on the floor. Claire rushed over to console Kate. She reached out, and Kate pushed her away; refusing to be consoled, and buried her face in her hands.

"No," she gasped through strangled sobs, "No."

Sawyer glared again at Ben threateningly before walking over to Kate. Desmond's felt Penny's hand slip back into his, and she squeezed it tightly. Desmond guiltily felt glad that at least he had his loved one.

"Come on Freckles, let's get you out of here." Sawyer said in an unusually soft tone. He reached down cautiously to take Kate away.

"No!" She shouted and hit Sawyer weakly away with her arm. She pushed herself up angrily and both Claire and Sawyer moved away to give her space. Kate marched straight up to Ben. "Why should we believe anything you have to say!" she shrieked, "Since when has he ever told us the truth?" Desmond couldn't help but thinking that maybe she had a point, Ben was a liar after all.

"Come on, Kate," Sawyer said again.

"No!" Kate shouted in a desperate voice. She hit Sawyer repeatedly in the chest, and he stood there patiently. Eventually, she gave in, and crumpled into his arms. He hugged her tightly as she cried uncontrollably. Claire moved forward, and together, they managed to walk Kate out of the room.

Desmond turned back to Ben, who had been watching the whole ordeal as if he had expected it from the start. Seeing him there, wholeheartedly unsympathetic, Desmond exploded. "Who do you think you are? Saying something like that to her, brotha? What gives you the right? I should destroy you right now!"

"I was simply telling her the truth." Ben said monotonously, "She needed to hear it, ... sometime or another. But that doesn't matter right now; Jack isn't who I came here to talk about."

Sawyer burst back through the door and strode right up to Ben. Ben turned to the noise, and Sawyer hit him hard in the face. With both hands, he pushed Ben into the floor and stood over him, ready to strike again.

"Hey!" Desmond warned, "We need him."

"Fine," Sawyer growled. He let him go, but in no way did he seem pleased. Ben got back into his chair and wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his sleeve. Sawyer threw himself down on the couch, right across from Ben.

"So, where is he?" Sawyer said in a low growl. "And how did _you_ know, we were lookin' for him?" Ben smiled in response.

"Hugo told me." Ben told them simply.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about" he snarled, "I wanna know how bigfoot knew to send his right-hand man. But that don't matter. Let's just cut right to the chase. Where is Charlie?"

From his pocket, Desmond pulled a picture of the Dharma Station logo, and a few photos of possible locations.

"This is where I saw Charlie, in a station with this logo. I've found some places it might be hidden." Desmond handed the photographs to Ben. He waited and hoped that Ben could, and would help. Desmond hadn't had any visions since his seizure, and he had grown worried that Charlie was dying or already dead.

Ben looked over the photos. He chuckled slightly. "These are all incorrect," he said in a snide voice, "I know where you can find this station, but I should tell you now, it's been abandoned for well over thirty years."

"It's being used now by Eloise Hawking," Desmond insisted. Ben was unable to hide his surprise. A more pressing question came to Desmond's mind. "What was it used for?"

"The gateway," he held up the drawing, "was used for experiments and memory modification. New Dharma initiative recruits who had broken the rules, or who seemed to be spies, were transported off island and had their memories repressed and altered using drugs so they couldn't tell anyone about the island."

"You said experiments." Sawyer pressed, "What kind?" Ben drew in a deep breath before continuing.

"Specifically, the experiments were on people who should have been dead, but came back to life unexpectedly and without reason. The Dharma initiative wanted to use this information to find out how to bring people back from the brink of death the way the 'hostiles' seemed to be able to do." They stared at him. "At the temple," he added for clarification.

"It was pointless, really. And the methods were just...ludicrous. They actually stopped people's hearts, stabbed them with injections, and started them again to monitor brain activity during death. They actually thought that they were getting somewhere." he allowed himself a chuckle. "I guess that's simply the way some people were in the 70's" Desmond was glad that Claire was gone helping Kate. She would have lost control had she heard the methods that was possible being used on Charlie.

"So, you know where it is, brotha?" Desmond asked, who had surprisingly believed every word of Ben's.

"I can take you there." Ben answered.

A few hours later, they found themselves piled into Ben's Dharma van, hopefully on their way to rescue Charlie. Liam and Karen had been more than happy to watch over Aaron and Charlie while they were away. Desmond could barely contain himself. He was going to get Charlie back to his girl.

Claire sat in the back, in-between Sawyer and Kate, who weren't speaking to each other. Claire was lost in her thoughts, staring out at the night sky. Occasionally, she smiled to herself and twirled the ring on her necklace. To her right, Kate looked out of the window. She too seemed lost in thought, but in a different way. She hadn't spoken since the news of Jack's death. Sawyer, who kept looking over at her, opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it.

Desmond turned back around and looked ahead. Penny squeezed his hand reassuringly. Ben sat in the driver's seat, no one in the seat beside him. The car glided over the road, as street lamps glowed and people strolled by lazily.

Somewhere, Charlie Pace opened his eyes from his most recent blackout. Everything was quiet, yet something had filled him with a new feeling strength and hope. Just a feeling, but a good one. Whenever he felt this way, he thought of Claire.

_"Come back safe Charlie," she pleaded. At the look on her face, a look of complete desperation, he almost gave up on his mission to the Looking Glass; just to stay with her and Aaron._

Now, after everything that had happened to him, and everything that Claire had been through because of what he did, Charlie wished that he had.


	16. So Much For Fate: Part One

**A/N- I'd like to first thank you all for your amazingly kind reviews. I'm extremely glad that you enjoy my take on post-LOST events. Reading your comments on my writing style puts a smile on my face, and gives me encouragement to keep going with this story. Again, thank you all so much.**

* * *

Between his overwhelming desire to save everyone the only way he could, and his own desperate human instinct to survive, Charlie thought of Claire. While the room flooded with water, and Desmond pounded on the door, he wondered what she was doing at the moment; if she was thinking about him, and if she was worried about him. He hoped that she wasn't; she needed to move on and forget him so she and Aaron could be rescued.

And yet, he couldn't help thinking about seeing her again. Charlie had heard that before you died, your life flashed before you eyes, but that wasn't true for Charlie. All he could see was Claire.

_-"First plane crash?" he joked._

_"How could you tell?" she laughed despite everything that had happened. He sat down._

_"Ah, you can always spot the newbies."_

_-"I remember peanut butter, why do I remember peanut butter?"_

_"It was imaginary peanut butter actually." He laughed, glad that Claire still wanted to be friends with him, that she still trusted him._

_-"I told you I could take care of you"_

_-"Come back safe Charlie" he couldn't stand the look in her eyes, the complete helplessness and desperation, but he had to do it. He had to die to save her and Aaron. They deserved better._

It would all be over soon. Suddenly, quicker than the water that was steadily bringing him closer to death, a thought struck Charlie._ "What Boat? Who-who's Naomi?"_ Why were the people on the freighter lying? How would Charlie let his friends know? The pounding on the door continued; a constant noise that mirrored Charlie's own heartbeat. _Desmond_.

The warm water was almost up to Charlie's chin now. Charlie felt momentarily tempted to give in to it's persistent calling. _Claire, Aaron_. Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out a marker. Keeping his head and mouth above the waterline, Charlie wrote the last thing he would ever write. _Not Penny's Boat._

Desmond was calling out, desperate but completely and utterly helpless. Charlie swam to the door and put his hand on the cold, unyielding glass. Desmond stopped pounding. He read the words to himself, and then eyed Charlie. Desmond put his hand to the glass, and Charlie nodded. _Save Claire_, he tried desperately to convey. _Help my family_. Desmond nodded back.

The room had finally filled. Charlie pushed away from the wall, and floated. The warm liquid filled his lungs, and he already felt his world fading. For everything that had happened in his life, every terrible thing that he had done, Charlie's heart filled with remorse. Finally, he could feel proud of himself. Charlie crossed his heart with his head bowed, and then everything went black.

Everything was dark. Only blackness and nothingness. Charlie couldn't see, hear, or breathe. Something was definitely wrong. Charlie wondered if he was dead; he was thinking, or at least he thought he was. He could see Claire. She was smiling at Charlie like nothing else mattered in the world besides himself and Aaron, who she was cradling between them. Aaron looked as though he had just been born. That couldn't be right; neither was the fact that Claire was on a couch. Kate and Desmond were there too, looking happier than they had ever been.

Charlie smiled. Then, the vision was violently yanked away and replaced by a burning sensation in Charlie's throat and lungs. Charlie wished that the vision, dream, or whatever it was, would come back; he wanted nothing more than seeing his family again. The pain escalated and Charlie's instinct to survive kicked in. All that mattered now was breathing.

Charlie coughed and sputtered. He was breathing, he was alive. Charlie forced his eyes open and was immediately blinded by bright white light. When his vision cleared, he noticed a man sitting over him in white robes tied around the waist with a drawstring belt. Charlie blinked. So many questions had just formed in his mind that he didn't know which to asked first.

"What happened to me? Am I dead?" he asked of the man. His throat hurt from talking, and he coughed again. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jacob." the man responded simply. He continued as if that was the only introduction necessary. "What I need for you to do now Charlie is to swim out of here." Charlie wondered how this 'Jacob' knew his name. Suddenly his head throbbed, and for a moment his vision darkened. "You're going to pass out again, but when you wake up...swim out, and you'll find me on the beach. I'll be waiting for you to answer any questions you may have."

Charlie struggled to stay conscious so he could ask his questions now. This bloke was a few sandwiches short of a picnic in Charlie's opinion, and he still wasn't positive that he was alive. His eyes closed. It was no good, he couldn't stay awake.

The man shook Charlie with urgency. "Charlie! Charlie listen to me!" the man's voice was fading, and Charlie was fading into darkness again. Everything was quiet, except for someone far off saying, "I have a job for you to do." Charlie could barely hear him. He passed out before he could hear anything else.

Somehow, Charlie found himself on the beach. He was facedown in the sand as the waves lapped against him gently, nudging him further up the shore. With the sun on his back, and the sound of the waves surrounding him, Charlie felt more comfortable than he ever had been in his life. _Maybe I should lie down for a bit..._ he thought.

"Wake up," an Australian voice pleaded softy in his ear, "Come on Charlie," He felt a light hand touch his shoulder and shake him slightly. Charlie wondered if this was all just a bad dream. He hoped more than hope that he would open his eyes to see Claire's own blue ones; that he would be back on their beach, in their tent. He could almost hear Aaron crying, and his paternal urge kicked in to comfort his son.

"You have to wake up Charlie, open your eyes, please," Charlie almost did, and he raised his head. And then, he grew worried that this all was was a dream, maybe even a hallucination, and when he opened his eyes, she would be gone.

"I will always love you Charlie," she whispered. Claire's voice faded, as did her touch on his shoulder. Instantly he felt alone, and despite the sun beating on his back, cold, desolate, and empty. A gentle wave washed over his head and pulled back down. Charlie remembered drowning, and not surprisingly, he began to feel uncomfortable in the water. Using all the strength he had, Charlie forced himself into a standing position and struggled up the beach.

His legs felt like lead, and he was doubled over in pain. _Keep going_, he ordered himself, _keep going_. Charlie finally made it back to the tree line and fell to his knees from the exertion and pain he had just put his body through. He knelt there for a while, panting and regaining his strength. _I have to find my friends, I have to find Claire_, he reminded himself as motivation.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked. Charlie looked up. It was that Jacob bloke again, smiling down at Charlie, still wincing in pain, like a complete git.

"Oh, it's you," Charlie started, "I'd love to sit and chat, but I have friends to meet up with. They'll be thinking I'm dead, I expect. I'm probably going to give them quite a scare" he joked the situation off lightly. The man frowned.

"I'm sorry Charlie, I can't let you do that." he frowned again.

"What? _Let_ me? Who are you to say what I can and can't do?" Charlie demanded. Jacob sighed, as if he expected this and just now realized how much of a hassle it would be. Charlie would have gotten up and walked off, but he could barely move at all and he was starving. Jacob seemed to know this, because in one hand he had a net of fish he had caught, and in the other, a large wine bottle with a rounded bottom, filled with water.

"I'm Jacob, and if you'll-" he began. He lifted the bottle slightly to offer it to Charlie.

"Yeah, I know who you are, thanks." Charlie interjected, growing more and more annoyed of Jacob by the second, "Why can't I leave?" he glared at Jacob, who smiled back as though they were just two old friends who hadn't seen each other for a while.

"You can't leave because I have a job for you to do. It's important." They stood for a while, face to face, as the waves pounded the shore. For some reason, that he didn't quite understand himself, Charlie believed Jacob, and believed what he had to say was, in fact, important.

Charlie almost left Jacob, but he needed the water, and they were a lot further from his camp than he ad thought. There was no way for him to get food or water alone, so he followed Jacob. The walk was grueling, even with Jacob helping him along the way. Finally, they came to one of the strangest things Charlie had ever seen. A giant, four-toed foot was standing on a pedestal, but the rest of the statue was missing. In the rectangular platform, an opening led to a room within.

Charlie and Jacob sat down on the beach. Jacob cooked the fish on a little fire, and passed the water to Charlie. Most of it was gone after their walk, but Charlie had his fill. The fire crackled, and the sun began to set. Neither spoke to the other as they ate in silence. Charlie eyed the door again. Finally, Charlie broke the silence.

"What's in there?" he jerked his head to the door. Jacob turned and then laughed to himself. Charlie then heard him mutter something, but he couldn't make it out.

"No one goes in unless I invite them in." He said in a manner that suggested he had said it a thousand times.

"Look, mate. You drag me out here, tell me I've got a job to do, and you won't even let me have shelter? You're off your head if you think I'm staying here and listening to you! I've got friends! I've got family!"

Jacob looked at the door again. "You know what?" he began, "Let's go inside" He then stood up abruptly, and without another word, headed for the door. Charlie followed cautiously, more than just a few paces behind. He stepped over the threshold, and felt as though he stepped back in time. The sandstone tunnel led to a room that looked ancient. All the furnishings, rugs, even the tapestry in the wall looked like a mix of Egyptian and Roman. Charlie got an uneasy feeling that this 'Jacob' was somehow important.

Charlie walked in further. Jacob was sitting by a massive fire pit in the center of the room. Charlie sat on the floor.

"So,... you have a, a job for me to do?" Charlie began and looked around the room, "do you need my help redecorating? Interior design really isn't really my area of expertise" Charlie chuckled at his own joke. Jacob merely smiled at Charlie like he was talking to a child in grade-school.

"Something a bit more important than that," he began. "Charlie, in a few weeks, five of your friends are going to make a mistake. They're going to leave this island and everyone else behind-including Claire. And then, in three years they're going to come back and make an even greater mistake."

"Wait," Charlie interrupted, "you said Claire would be left behind. What about Aaron?"

"Aaron will leave and be raised by Kate, and, for a while, Jack." Charlie felt as though he'd swallowed a brick. Claire, what would happen to her without Aaron? Would she go bonkers like the French-women when she lost her child? Charlie opened his mouth to tell Jacob he had some nerve, but Jacob raised his hand to stop him.

"Charlie, you can't change what is going to happen."

"What about me? I drowned and you stopped it! Why can't you put just Claire on the helicopter!?"

"Charlie, no one was there to see you drown. For them, that reality is open- it could have gone either way. You were supposed to live. It's just that no one will know that until later."

"How much later?" Charlie demanded. His heart pounded.

"Four years" Jacob estimated, "Maybe longer." Charlie let it sink in. This had to be wrong, it must be impossible or some sick joke. He couldn't live without Claire and Aaron for over four years. They were his family.

Jacob, seeing that Charlie had quieted in his shock, took the opportunity to continue his narrative. "Three years from now, a man named Daniel Faraday will convince your friends to detonate the core of a hydrogen bomb in the hatch. They'll that believe without the hatch, your plane won't crash on the island." he sighed and shook his head, "Your plane crashed because I brought it here. Their plan won't work, and they'll be in danger. That's where you come in..."


	17. So Much For Fate: Part Two

"Charlie?" At the sound of the voice, Charlie's head snapped up. It was just a question, but something in Richard's voice seemed different this time. Urgency, fear, and doubt; masked behind centuries of practice in lying. The large canvas tent they were in, alike to everyone in the "others'" camp in every way, swayed slightly in the wind.

"I'm just thinking," It was all Charlie could say. How did Richard expect him to respond? With joy? Richard shifted uncomfortably in his chair, but remained silent. Charlie sighed.

"Are we _really_ doing this tomorrow?" Charlie asked.

"_You_ are doing this tomorrow," Richard corrected, "If you choose to. Jacob still needs an answer." _Jacob._ There wasn't a day that went by that Charlie didn't wish he'd never met the nutter. Three years later, and here Charlie was, working for Jacob, third in command only to Eloise. Three years.

_"When the time comes, and Richard will tell you when, I'll need you to do something for me Charlie." They both stared out at the endless ocean as Jacob spoke. "Three years from now, your friends are going to make a mistake. When Jack tries to detonate that hydrogen bomb, it won't work. If they stay at the sight of the Incident, they will die of radiation poisoning."_

_"I know all of this already Jacob, but what am I supposed to do in the meantime? Three years is a long time. I -I don't know if I can do this. What about Claire and Aaron?"_

_"If you do what I say, they'll be fine. In the meantime, you are going to go live with my people. I believe you call them 'the others'."_

Charlie shook the memory away and sighed. It was as if Jacob was lecturing him from the past. Typical.

"Alright, Richard, you've got yourself an answer. Tell Jacob that I'm ready." As he spoke the words, Charlie felt as though he'd signed a binding contract with absolutely no loopholes or take-backs.

"Good," Ricard replied steadily, "Good. I already told Jacob that you'd said yes." He allowed himself a small laugh. Charlie laughed as well. Not because it was funny, because it wasn't, but because he felt trapped and needed to lighten the mood. Richard must have assumed the former, that Charlie wasn't screaming inside, and he got up and left.

Charlie took a deep breath and looked around his tent for the last time. It was almost empty, due to all the moving around to avoid the Dharma Initiative. He packed what he had; a compass, canteen of water, shirts and jeans, and then left leaving it as though it hadn't ever been used. Someone else would need it, maybe another Dharma defect like little Ben. Now that had been a shock. If flashing through time wasn't enough, the universe had to torture Charlie further by bringing the monster who would order Claire's capture into his camp. Worse, finding out that Sayid had shot him. No. Worse was knowing that a baby Ethan was sleeping snugly at the barracks.

As Charlie walked through camp, the 'others', Charlie's friends, waved at him happily. _Last time I'll see them_, he thought as he went on. Little Ben came running up.

"Hi Charlie! What are you doin'?"

"Just walking, Ben. Aren't you going back to the barracks soon? Richard said you had to wait." Ben didn't respond, but he was obviously upset. Charlie knew the question, for him at least, was redundant. He knew that Ben would 'join' back up with the Dharma blokes, just to murder them all when he grew up. Charlie walked past Ben without looking at him, thinking to himself how nice it was to know the future.

For some reason, the sky seemed bluer, the grass greener. Charlie breathed deep, and, sure enough, the air was cleaner. _Not for long_. Charlie was ironic that way; happiness in the face of impending doom. _Just make it to the orchid, just get inside, just-_

"Hey Charlie! Stop a moment!" Charlie sighed in exasperation, but slowed down. Charles, or Charlie number two, as Charlie liked to call him, looked suspicious. Charles got upset, and insisted on his own name, as both of them were English and too alike anyway.

"What do you think you're doing?" He began, not even trying to mask his false sense of superiority.

"I'm running off to the store, want something?" Charlie joked. Charles wasn't in the mood. He glared, then questioned Charlie again, enunciating each word with like it was his last. Charles didn't like Charlie.

"Where. are. you. going?" Charlie just stared at him for a moment, then turned, and walked away. A giddy smile crept across Charlie's face as he listened to Charles complaining to Richard like a child in distance and Richard's response, "Bother someone else." Charlie walked on as the sun beat down and the trees swayed.

He passed rivers where he loaded up his canteen, patches of jungle, mountains, and beaches in the distance. It all passed by in a blur like he was passing it in a car. The day wore on, and Charlie grew more and more tired. Finally, he came to a clearing where he could camp for the night. He looked around for a shady spot, when he saw a ratty old tent. Charlie stopped dead in his tracks and his blood ran cold. Time seemed to slow. He was standing in a place that he recognized completely. That memory had been burnt into his mind, recurring frequently in his nightmares.

_The rain was coming so down hard, Charlie could barely see. He almost wished for another flash- just so the rain would go away, but they had stopped almost two years ago. The map that Jacob had given him had all but washed away. It should be around here somewhere... he thought unsteadily. Jacob had instructed Charlie to look for the Black Rock, to retrieve dynamite. Alone. Charlie often volunteered for solo trips like this, making him the likely candidate for them all. Being alone on these treks was the only time he could think. He thought of his old friends and what they were doing, he thought of how long he had left, he thought of Aaron, but mostly, he thought of Claire. Charlie wondered how she and Aaron were doing back in the real world, if she even missed him at all anymore. Right now, he was remembering the night they had met. He smiled as he trudged on._

_In the gloom, he saw smoke rising in the distance, most likely from a campfire. Charlie walked forward cautiously, not wanting to bump into someone unfriendly. No one he knew lived all the way out here, and, as far as he knew, the Dharma blokes weren't building any hatches out here._

_"Hello?" he called out, immediately regretting the decision. "Is there anyone there?" There was a long silence, in which Charlie almost turned to leave. Then, out of nowhere, a gunshot hit near Charlie's feet. "Oi!" He cried out and jumped back in alarm._

_"Don't move!" A voice yelled. Someone came running over to where Charlie was while he put his hands up in defeat. Through the rain, he saw a small figure approaching. Rousseau? He thought. The stranger moved closer, and suddenly, it wasn't a stranger, it was Claire. Claire, who used to love going for walks, and who was now pointing a gun at Charlie's heart. Claire, who had been so kind and gentle and who now looked so rugged and wild. This is wrong, Charlie thought, This can't be right; Jacob told me she and Aaron were home. What is she doing here?_

_Charlie walked forward a step, and Claire, now able to see his face, panicked and raised her gun. Even though she was glaring at Charlie like she wanted nothing more than to do him harm, Charlie couldn't help but feel overjoyed just to see her. Despite his panic, Charlie found that he was smiling slightly._

_"How could you do this to me?!" She yelled, "You said that you wouldn't, you promised!" She began crying hysterically, and for a second Charlie saw a hint of the old Claire. The Claire that he loved. "Why do you look like him?" she continued, "It's bad enough that you pretend to be my father!"_

_"Claire," Charlie started, "just put that down, and we'll talk, okay?" Claire shook her head and Charlie raised his hands higher. "Claire, what's wrong? It's me, it's Charlie!" He kept his voice as kind and sincere as possible, while smiling warmly to show her that he wouldn't do her any harm. "It's just me."_

_"No! Charlie is dead!" she wailed, "Just stop it, okay?! You left me! You promised me, and you lied!" Charlie's head spun; Claire didn't even seem like Claire anymore. She was wearing ratty old clothes and her hair was in tangles. She looked like she hadn't seen another person in years. Who could she possibly think that he was?_

_"Claire, I'm fine, I'm alive, I'm here now. Just calm down." Charlie cautioned her with an outstretched hand. For a brief second, she lowered her gun. The rain pounded down as they stood there; so close, yet so far apart. Suddenly, a thought struck Charlie so fast it overwhelmed him and every other thought he'd been having. Had she been abandoned? He didn't want to ask, but he was too scared not to._

_"Claire, how long have you been out here?" His throat constricted. "Are you alone?" Claire raised her gun again, and began shouting utter nonsense at Charlie through tears. Charlie was almost crying himself. What had happened to her?_

_"Tell me where he is! You said you'd help me find him! You lied!" Her face became an expressionless mask as she said something Charlie would never forget. "I hate you! I don't want you to be my friend anymore, I want you to leave!"_

_"Claire, don't, please" he began. He struggled for something to tell her, something to make her come with him. This was all wrong, Jacob said that Kate would raise Aaron, he never said that Claire would be abandoned. Claire hands trembled, but for some reason, was unable to shoot. She gave in and lowered her gun to the ground while wiping tears from her eyes._

_"Just go!" Claire turned around to leave. Out of nowhere, Charlie heard excited shouting. Someone was running through the jungle at a tremendous pace. Both he and Claire turned to face the noise. Charlie's heart started pounding in his chest; he needed to get Claire out of there._

_"Claire, come with me, I can help you." Charlie told her. Claire's head whipped around to face him. Her eyes widened in panic._

_"You brought them here! You tricked me!" Her face was screwed up in pain and anguish. The voices got closer. Charlie tried to get to Claire, but every step he took to her, she took one back. Charlie noticed her eyeing the tree line._

_"No. Claire, listen." It was too late. Claire turned and ran. Charlie ran to follow her, but he slipped and fell. His head hit a boulder, hard and his vision darkened. He heard screaming, but he couldn't tell from where. He felt his world slipping away, far away. He struggled; he had to help her, he needed to save her. He managed to open his eyes just enough to see two of the 'others' from the temple closing in on Claire. She backed against a tree like a caged animal, unable to escape._

_"No...," Charlie mumbled, "Stop. She's my friend" It was no good, the others didn't hear him. Even if they had, Charlie doubted they would have listened; the 'temple others' didn't tend to listen to anyone but Dogan, Lennon, or Jacob. To them, Richard was a joke._

_Charlie stretched out his hand, trying to reach Claire. The others made a grab and pinned her down. Charlie watched in horror as they bound her hands while she kicked and struggled. He knew full well what those nutters did to people they captured; how they 'tested' them._

_Claire hit the floor and made eye contact with Charlie. Just at that moment, while he was looking at her desperately, hoping she could get away, she seemed to recognize him for who he actually was. Her eyes widened as the two others pulled her to her feet. He smiled, and though he knew she couldn't hear him, and they it wouldn't help, whispered "I love you." Then, his world faded to black._

One year later, Charlie stood at an abandoned camp that he knew was Claire's. He felt hollow, empty, and alone. Even though he knew that she had escaped, he felt responsible for what had happened to her. He had been to late to stop the tests and only regained consciousness after she got away. None of it mattered now, he'd be gone soon anyway.


	18. So Much For Fate: Part Three

Charlie shivered in the icy darkness, finally realizing what the big black Dharma coats were for.

He gingerly held his right arm, the one he had used to break the fall. It was practically shattered, but Charlie could at least be relieved that no bones broke the skin. While he stood there, shaking and cradling his throbbing arm, Charlie struggled to remember what to do next. Jacob had given him instructions, detailed ones at that, but it was all different when Charlie was actually there.

When he had asked Jacob "_why me?_", Jacob had looked Charlie straight in the eyes with a funny expression on his face said, "_You have been here long enough Charlie, and the only way for you to leave is to do what I'm asking_." It was settled after that, and Charlie had departed to begin his new life as an other. Three years later, to a day Charlie had been half praying for, half against, Charlie was finally going to leave.

A massive shudder shook the entire cave and caused rocks to begin cascading from the ceiling. Charlie fell, onto his bad arm, and screamed in agony. He felt as though he had glass under his skin, stabbing him from the inside. Finally, the shaking stopped as abruptly as it started. Charlie reluctantly got to his feet, after much self encouragement. He had known there would be an earthquake caused by the drilling, but he hadn't know it would be _that bad_, or that it would reach him all the way at The Orchid.

Charlie's arm now hung limply by his side, and he bitterly wished, not for the first time, that there hadn't been any Dharma blokes around, making him have to go through the well. Fortunately for the mission, the Initiative hadn't filled the well yet, unfortunately for Charlie, his arm was now useless. Charlie looked up from examining his arm to see light coming towards him.

"H-Hello?" Charlie called out, "I-Is there s-someone there?" The cold made his whole body shake, but now, Charlie was shaking for a different reason. The light got closer, reflecting off the icy walls, and Charlie could only wait.

A tall, serious looking man in a suit and white sneakers came carrying a lantern through the tunnel, but he smiled when he saw Charlie.

"You made it." He said with an unmistakeable American accent. Charlie blinked through the brightness, as the man looked at him better.

"You've broken you arm." the man observed. He didn't seem to be cold at all. Charlie nodded impatiently.

"Can you help me?" Charlie was able to muster without stammering. The man raised his lantern again and turned to leave, saying "This way." Charlie followed. It got a bit warmer as they moved further, and Charlie was able to relax a little. They came to a wide opening and into a large cavern with a giant frozen wheel jutting out of the wall.

"My arm is broken, can you?" He motioned at the wheel, swaying on its axis. The man shook his head.

"You must do it yourself." he said. Charlie thought he recognized something about the man, how he looked like someone he knew. The thought passed with sudden anger.

"What?! My arm is _broken_ I can't move it you crazy nutter!" The man simply smiled and then stood in the corner. Charlie looked around wildly, realizing he was alone. The cavern began shaking again, a slow, steady humming filled the room and Charlie knew that it was time. The bomb hadn't gone off, and his friends would die of radiation.

Charlie took a deep, steadying breath and grabbed the wheel with his left hand and tried to turn it - the whole cavern was shaking - Charlie tried harder - it wouldn't work - he used his right hand, pain exploding all over - the wheel began to turn. Charlie gritted his teeth through the pain and pulled with everything he had. The cavern began to fill with white light, and suddenly time stopped.

Charlie's mind was bombarded with images, memories. The plane crash, beach, ocean, throwing the statues into the ocean, holding Aaron for the first time, Claire. Except this wasn't the Claire he knew, it was the crazy feral Claire who had tried to kill him. The Claire that had lost everything. Charlie wondered if Claire would still be like that when, if he saw her again.

Charlie decided that didn't care, he wanted to see her anyway. He yanked a the wheel and took A last look at the only other person in the room. The man smiled and then said, "Take care of my daughter." Charlie was wondering what he meant when everything went white.

Charlie fought for reality when he found himself laying on the ground in a completely different place than he was before. The sun was beating down on the caked, dry earth beneath him. Charlie lifted his head, but couldn't keep it up. He managed to turn his head to the side, and that besides the desolate landscape with mountains in the distance, there was a camera on a stick pointing right at him. The lens focused and an alarm sounded from behind him. Charlie turned to see a large building off in the distance. It looked to be newly built.

"Help!" Charlie croaked at the camera. A van came speeding out from the building, headed right for Charlie. It tires screeched as it kicked up dust clouds. People came running out of the van in a blur. Charlie waited for someone to help him up, but nobody did. They simply stood around him. Charlie noticed one of them with a rope. Another had a plastic bag with an unused syringe and a bottle in it. All of them were gloved and masked. Someone else walked out of the car.

"Is this one of them?" one person called out.

Someone else asked, "Can he help us find it?" They seemed strangely excited that a has-been rock star had popped out into the desert.

Charlie heard gravel crunching as the person neared. Someone shuffled aside to let this person through. Charlie blinked in the sunlight until a shadow darkened over him, allowing him to see. Leaning over him was unmistakably Eloise Hawking. Charlie knew that it was her even though she had aged at least 30 years. She had the same cold expression in her eyes masked by a smile across her lips. She nodded.

Everything else was a blur. Charlie tried to fight as the bound him, but his arm hurt too much. The man with the syringe opened his bag and measured a dosage. Hands lifted him up slightly and he felt a pinch at the base of his neck.

"No," Charlie tried to tell them he wasn't who they wanted, but he couldn't talk. His vision swam in and out of focus as he felt the drugs wash into his system. The last thing he saw was Eloise smiling over him.

Everything went dark.

After that, Charlie was never fully coherent. He noticed when they had moved him; the long, bumpy car ride had negated some of the effects of the drugs. Masked people would come into his room, ask him question about the island; how he managed to leave, where it was now, what healing properties it had, who else was there, who was Jacob, what is the monster, et cetera. He noticed that his arm was fixed, bandaged while the other was restrained. Eloise would talk, but only ever over the speakers. She was the only one that did. Charlie hoped that some part of her felt guilt, maybe even remorse. But every time, she would ask the same questions, with more urgency than the others, and when he told her the island had moved, she would send in the doctors and scientists. Charlie supposed that she wanted to get back to the island more than anything.

Eloise had told her colleagues that Charlie hadn't aged in 30 years, she had pictures to prove it. The others would get excited, wanting to figure out this "medical mystery" even though Eloise knew that Charlie had just moved through time. It obviously served her purposes well; if he didn't tell her everything, she'd send in the doctors to study him. It didn't work, as Charlie blatantly refused to answer.

It must have been months and still, Charlie was trapped. His life was a never ending parade of doctors, speakers, and drugs. Everything was the same, the days crawled by one after another until Charlie had just about given up hope. Until, a voice came over the speaker. And it wasn't Eloise.

"Charlie? Charlie can you hear me?" Charlie immediately became alert, yet he was certain that he was dreaming. He hadn't heard that voice in over three years.


	19. Breathe

The van moved smoothly along the road. Above, street-lamps, stars, and a full moon made it impossible for Kate to sleep. Of course, she wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. Jack was dead. Even though she had suspected it, knowing that there was a chance Jack could be alive, trying to get back to her- it kept Kate grounded. Now, she had nothing to hold on to, nothing to stop her from fading into oblivion. Free from every care she had ever had, Kate's mind floated away, not caring about anything or anyone. It was incredibly freeing, and yet incredibly lonely.

Kate stared off into space, watching as the scenery transformed around her. What had once been crowded city streets changed to desolate farmland, and then, quiet woods. Everyone else in the car was silent. Claire's head was bent over a crumpled piece of paper, silent tears streaking down her face; Penny was sleeping on Desmond's shoulder who had fallen asleep against a window; James was immersed in his copy of _Watership_ _Down_; Ben was driving with a stony expression on his face; And Kate, she didn't care about any of them. None of it mattered when Jack was dead. Kate drifted off into dreams of beaches, plane crashes, and faded memories. She felt as though Jack was sitting right next to her, helping her to sleep.

When she awoke with someone's jacket on her shoulder's, Kate realized that she was the only person left in the van. Sunlight was streaming in through the dusty windows, it must have been about noon, and her friends were nowhere to be seen. Kate sat up groggily and pushed the jacket off of her shoulder's. it smelt like Jack. Kate cried, realizing that her dream of Jack sitting with her was only James's idea of a kind gesture. Covering her with the borrowed jacket of her dead fiancé.

It was so cold that, despite who it belonged to, Kate put the jacket on and got out of the car. Her feet touched gravel as she took in her surroundings. She was in a sort of clearing, surrounded by tall trees that swayed lazily and reminded her of the jungle on the island. Kate took another step forward.

"Hello?' She called out, "Is anyone here?" There was no reply, and Kate began to panic. The silence did nothing to quiet her fears, in fact, it raised them to a level beyond control. "Hello!" she cried again. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, pounding in her ears. There was a rustling to her left. Kate turned rapidly; there it was again. The low growing brambles beneath the trees snapped and creaked under something, or someone's weight. Tramping through the leaves and low-hanging branches came a face Kate hadn't seen in a while. Her fear melted away, and even the weight of Jack's death lightened slightly. Kate smiled with relief and ran forward to hug Hurley.

"Dude!" Hurley cried joyfully with a wide smile on his face. He hugged Kate tightly and lifted her slightly off the ground. Kate laughed, glad to have something to take her mind off of Jack. She stepped back slightly to look at Hurley better.

"You've lost weight." she noted. Hurley nodded proudly. It was true, he seemed to be at least a size smaller than before. He was also wearing a suit, something Kate could hardly believe. Seeing Hurley in a suit was like catching Ben in a tutu. It just didn't happen.

"I guess it's cause of like, all the exercise I've been doin'. Being in charge isn't so easy. I got to trek across the island like- every day. Ben's a good number two, but being the new Jacob is still tuff." Hurley frowned at something he had said and asked, "You do know about Jack don't you?" Kate sighed. It all came flooding back to the forefront of her mind, and she knew that she couldn't escape it.

"Yeah," she said, blinking back tears, "Ben told me." She put a hand to her eyes to brush away the tears, and Hurley frowned again. A thought came to Kate suddenly, yet she hesitated to ask it. Putting it into words would mean accepting it as reality; something she could not do.

Kate breathed deep; the cold, morning air brought her back to her senses. "Hurley," she began, determined to take her time, "has Jack- has he...visited you?" she wished she hadn't asked, but it was already too late.

"I'm sorry dude. I wish I could tell you something, but Jack hasn't visited me once. I'm sorry" he added quickly at the end. Kate pretended to smile, pretended that everything was fine and told Hurley that it didn't matter anyway. Hurley still looked uncomfortable, so Kate started a new subject.

"So, what are you doing here, anyway?" Hurley looked glad for the change of discussion; he had never done well with confrontation, and Kate didn't think that had changed. He breathed out a little, and relaxed.

"I've been...uh, waiting here at a little house close-by, and I asked Ben to bring you all here. I know that Charlie is alive, and I kinda wanted to help."

Kate smiled. "You're welcome any time Hurley." Then, Kate remembered that her friends were missing. "Where's everybody else?" she asked. Kate looked around at the trees, half-expecting to see them come walking out the same way Hurley did.

"I had Ben take them to my place. We can talk about everything there. I just came back to get you."

They walked in silence, Kate jogging slightly to keep up with Hurley. Kate turned back, but the van was already out of sight, and she she was pondering why the others had left her at all. Hurley looked uncomfortable, he kept opening his mouth to talk, but he always closed it and shook his head. Kate could see her breath come out in puffs of white fog and hugged Jack's jacket closer, grateful for it's warmth.

They walked deeper into the trees, leaving all noises behind save their footsteps and the chirping of birds hidden above. Kate felt jealous of them, although it was ridiculous to be jealous of an animal; they could fly into the clouds, free from everything, while she remained stuck on earth. The trees rustled above every time a bird took flight. It was like they were taunting her.

Finally, they came to something that took Kate's mind out of the clouds. Before them was a small cabin with puffs of black smoke billowing out of the chimney. Hurley walked to the door and motioned for Kate to follow. She put her hand on the cool handle and stepped over the threshold.

The room was small, with a couple of doors to the left leading off to other places and a fireplace to the right. The entire expanse of the floor was covered with a massive rug. Penny were siting on a threadbare old couch, Claire and Ben were talking at a table below a dusty lamp, while Sawyer and Desmond was squatting in front of the fireplace; the source of all the smoke.

"No, no, no. You're doing it all wrong brotha!" Desmond reached out his hand to stop Sawyer from adding more wood.

"You wanna do it yourself? Go ahead!" Sawyer yelled in frustration. Sawyer didn't leave and the two began to argue more. Hurley walked over to help.

"Dude, you've been trying that since I left." He laughed.

Kate walked over to the couch and sat down. Everyone besides Hurley looked up, having just noticed her. Kate ignored them and stared out of the window. Sawyer stood up awkwardly and brushed soot off his jeans.

"Sorry we left you behind Freckles, we kinda had to rush off."

"Yeah," Clare put in, "Ben thought we were being followed,"

"We were being followed." Ben said dryly, not looking up from a phone he had out.

"So," Claire went on, "we had to run... I though you were right behind us... Sawyer tried to wake you up, but, you, um..." Her voice faded.

"You were in shock or something, so Ben went to get the Grape Ape here." he pointed at Hurley. "I was gonna go with, but he had Benny boy bring us here instead." Sawyer finished angrily.

Kate kept staring at the window. They would stop soon. Hurley looked around nervously, while Claire stared whispering with Penny. Kate knew that they were concerned about her, but she needed a moment alone.

"Kate...," Claire began with trepidation, "Are you alright?" She and Penny waited for a response. Kate pulled herself together, Claire needed her to be strong right now. She was probably worried out of her mind about Charlie. Kate turned towards them and put on a smile.

"Fine. Just tired. What is Hurley doing here?" Hurley stood up from a now roaring fire.

"I'm, like, here to help you guys. Charlie was my friend too. Besides, I have Walt watching the island for me" He paused, as if it were enough and looked to Ben. Ben, who had now put away his phone, motioned for him to keep talking. The others, especially Claire, leaned forward to listen. Hurley seemed uncomfortable in the spotlight, but he started talking.

"Kate, you uh...probably know that I saw Charlie, when I was in Santa Rosa?"

"Wait, you saw him?" Claire shrieked. Her eyes were wide in shock.

"He told me he was dead." Hurley said defensively.

"How could you not-"

"Please Claire, we all know you're freaked out, but let Bigfoot finish." Sawyer interjected. He seemed ready to jump out of his seat with suspense, and for a moment, Kate almost smiled. Almost.

"Well, it really freaked me out." Hurley continued, "Anyway, he sorta stopped visiting, and the last time I saw him... He, told me that he was alive and ACTUALLY visiting me." he stopped for dramatic effect and Sawyer let out a sigh of exasperation. Ben chuckled.

"Like, he was never dead. Jacob knew I could see dead people so, he made me think Charlie was, and... Whatever. All that matters is that I'm here to help."

"Wait." Claire began, "What does Jacob have to do with Charlie?" Everyone else seemed confused. Even Kate forgot about Jack for a moment. _What had Charlie been doing?_

"Well, Charlie was kinda working for Jacob. He was like, a 70's Other or something. He somehow visited me in Santa Rosa, he went to the Black Rock for dynamite, and did other...stuff." Claire seemed somehow confused, and drew back into her own thoughts, biting her lip.

"How did he get off the island?" Desmond wondered aloud.

"He, uh, he moved the island." Hurley said. Ben laughed to himself sarcastically.

"You mean like what Mr. Clean did?" Asked Sawyer skeptically. Claire jumped up suddenly, and started hyperventilating. Her whole body was shaking.

"It was him, it was him, it was him." She muttered to herself nervously. She ran a and through her blonde hair and began pacing, saying "It was him" over and over in a whisper.

"It was who?" Cried Sawyer. Kate jumped off of the couch and walked to Claire.

"Claire, who are you talking about?" She asked in a comforting voice. She reached out a tentative hand to stop Claire from pacing. Claire stopped, and stared around the room, completely lost.

"Charlie!" Claire wailed. "It was Charlie!" She started to pace again, still muttering. Finally she spoke.

"When I was on my own..." She began shakily, "Charlie walked into my camp. I though that was was my friend."

"Friend?" Sawyer questioned.

"The black smoke, my father, the monster, whatever you want to call him!" Claire snapped.

"Oh."

"Yeah well, he tried to help me and I...I pointed a gun at him. The monster had told me he could find Aaron, but he lied, and I was upset. I would have killed him, if the others hadn't taken me. I would have killed him" she whispered to herself. She sat back down and put her head in her hands.

"He was only trying to help." she sobbed. The room went quiet as everyone stood rooted where they were uncomfortably. No one knew what to do or how to help Claire. The fire crackled and began to die down, but no had the nerve to rise and tend it. Kate felt like she was at a funeral; Claire was too upset to move, and whenever any one tried to help, she pushed them away. Desmond and Penny held hands, Ben walked into one of the bedrooms. Sawyer tugged at his shirt sleeve absentmindedly, and Claire cried. It grew dark outside, and not one person got up or said anything. Finally Claire fell asleep, and Kate covered her with Jack's jacket.

The embers glowed halfheartedly, the light barley illuminating anything. It was cold, and Kate was reminded of a cabin that she had seen on the island. The tall trees creaked and moaned outside, they scratched against the window panes, and everyone shivered.

Kate took a deep breath; tomorrow would be another day.


	20. Outlaws

Sawyer laid still on a carpet of dust that layered the wooded floor, his blanket rolled up like a pillow under his head. He stared up at the ceiling and watched a bug crawl lazily across the dim ceiling lamp above. Sawyer thought it was some sort of beetle, but he couldn't be sure. The lamp flickered and dimmed; Sawyer had it timed to seven second intervals.

_One...Two...Three...Four...Five...Six...Seven_. The room went dark momentarily and three seconds later brightened again. The bug was gone now, probably crawling on someone's head. It was cold, since no one had cared to tend the fire, and Sawyer felt too lazy to do it now. Sawyer sighed and stretched before standing and walking to the fireplace. He put in new logs, all pointing to the center like spokes the way Desmond had showed him. He lit the wood, and the room illuminated, washing the walls with a glowing light.

Sawyer looked around the sparse room. Kate was huddled in one of the armchairs, using the doc's jacket as a blanket. Claire was curled up on the couch, muttering and frowning in her sleep. Sawyer reached over and covered her with his blanket even though she already had one. He didn't need it anyway. Penny's head was rested on Desmond's shoulder. Ben and Hugo were nowhere to be seen; they had wandered off to talk.

_"So, Jim," Horace began, "Radsinky's found another pocket, we're going to need you to close that area off." He pointed to an area on the map near to the beach. Sawyer leant over the table to get a closer look, and his heart slid like a brick into his stomach. He knew immediately where the Initiative wanted to drill- the future location of the Swan hatch._

_"Uh, I don't mean to be Captain Obvious here, but isn't that hostile territory?" Sawyer ventured. It wasn't true. As soon as they'd been recruited, Sawyer had tried everything to make sure he could live out a long life with these people. With Miles's help, he'd conned the Initiative into thinking that the zone was crawling with hostiles. Sawyer had thought that it would be enough, obviously he'd been wrong._

_"That's what you're here for, Jim." Horace declared. Sawyer sighed in exasperation. Suddenly the Dharma Security station felt more cold and empty than usual. This drilling, Sawyer knew, would lead to radiation that would kill pregnant women._

_"I'm just sayin' that-" Sawyer trailed off, unable to think of anything to convince Horace against making the biggest mistake of his life. "Look, that area is full of Hostiles. Miles barely made it out of there!"_

_Horace looked Sawyer in the eyes, regarding him. "I placed my faith in you, Lafleur. Radzinsky didn't think I should, but I made you head of security after only a year of being here, I gave you a a house, I took your friends in. Don't screw this up. One wrong step, and Radzinsky will have you on the sub."_

_"Sure thing, Boss" Sawyer relented, gruffly. If they wanted to ruin what they had, they could do what they want. Sawyer already had a plan in place to buy Microsoft if he was carted off in the sub._

_"Let's talk about something else." Horace said. Sawyer knew the argument was over, and he was glad for it. It had taken too much effort to rise in the ranks here, and he was about to mess it up know._

_"So," Horace ventured, "Have you asked out Juliet yet?"_

_"What? No! I'm not- She isn't- Is it that obvious?" Sawyer exclaimed. Horace chuckled to himself._

_"Of course it's obvious Jim. Besides Amy tells me that Juliet likes you too." Horace's tone was casual, but Sawyer wondered if he was just trying to make fun of him. Before Sawyer find out what Horace meant by, 'Juliet likes you too,' Miles voices came over the Walkie._

_Sawyer reached for his belt. His hand found the Walkie immediately and he raised it to eye level. Not a day went by that Sawyer didn't wish for a cell phone instead._

_"Hey boss, you there?" Miles questioned, "Boss?"_

_"I'm here Miles, what'd you want?"_

_"Check out monitor three."_

_Sawyer walked across the room to security monitors and looked where Miles had told him. Horace came up right behind him, so Sawyer hoped it wasn't something terrible._

_"What in the?" Horace thought aloud. Sawyer couldn't believe what he was seeing, himself. Little Ben was at the fence, in the middle of the night, staring at the jungle. What was he up too? Sawyer watched as he dropped to his knees and began to shake uncontrollably. Sawyer saw Miles run up to Ben and try to help him up._

_"Is he sleepwalking or something?" Horace wondered. Sawyer pulled out his Walkie._

_"Hey Miles! What's Rogers's kid doin' there?" Miles turned to face to the security camera after a failed attempt to move Ben and shrugged. Miles pulled out his own Walkie and said, "He keeps saying, 'they changed it', whatever that means." Miles added with tinge of annoyance in his voice._

_"Just get him out of there Miles, before Roger gets home." Sawyer ordered._

_"Sure thing, boss" Miles responded with a sarcastic tone that suggested he'd been trying to do that for a while now. Sawyer turned away from the monitors to face Horace. Horace's face was pale with shock._

_"There's something wrong with that boy" he whispered. Sawyer didn't object; he knew what Ben would become, how he would sacrifice everything for the island. Sawyer remembered Ben saying that he'd been born on the island. He'd laughed, knowing that Ben had only come here a short while ago._

Sawyer became anxious thinking about what Ben was up to now. He figured that he didn't have anything better to do, and slipped out the front door. There was nobody in sight, but he could hear voices a little further in. The moonlight cast long shadows on the ground, making Sawyer see people that weren't there. Sawyer reached instinctively at his hip for a gun that wasn't there. He followed the sound of the voices, growing louder with each footstep. Finally, he could see Hurley and Ben talking in a clearing. Sawyer leapt behind a tree and listened.

"No, dude. You heard what he said. We can't tell her."

"If you say so" came Ben's snide voice. It was strange, hearing Ben defer to someone's judgement. A noise off to the right caused both of them to turn. "You can't be here. You'll give yourself away" Ben said incredulously.

"Hugo invited me." came a familiar voice. Sawyer could barely believe it. It couldn't be.

"You'll ruin the plan." Ben's voice rang out.

"I'm part of the plan Benjamin." the voice responded. Whoever it was said Ben's name with contempt, like it was painful to say. Sawyer stepped back and snapped a twig. The voices stopped, and then began whispering anxiously. Sawyer did the only thing he could. He walked into the clearing.

"How's it going' boys?"

"Dude. We're you like, listening to us?" Hurley asked, astonished.

"Not for that long hoss, don't worry." Sawyer joked. Sawyer turned to see who the third person was, but they'd gone.

"Who was here with you?" Sawyer asked, not even trying to mask his suspicion of the two.

"No one was here Dude." Hurley informed him. He shifted his eyes to the floor guiltily.

"Fine, don't tell me." Sawyer snapped back.

"Good, he won't" said Ben. Sawyer glared at him. Ben was smirking to himself.

"Uh, dude. There's someone here for you." Hurley said.

"Yeah, and who would that be?" Sawyer said, throwing his hands in the air with frustration.

"Juliet." Sawyer's heart sank to the floor.

"What does she want?" He said in a barely audible voice.

"She's right next to you. She say's that she still has your back."

_"You still got my back?"Sawyer asked Juliet before charging at the others._

_"Absolutely."_

"She says Charlie's been fading in and out. That...that he's gonna die soon." Hurley choked out.

"She...she says I loves you James. And I would have said yes. I saw you talking to Kate at the docks. I would have said yes."

"Tell her that I love her too." Sawyer said quietly.

"She heard you dude." Sawyer turned abruptly and walked away. He marched right through the trees, not caring to be quiet. He left Hugo standing there with an uncomfortable expression on his face. Sawyer didn't care. He refused to let Ben see him cry.

_"James? Are you alright?" Juliet asked._

_"Fine." Sawyer said gruffly. He stared at a crack in the bench, not looking up._

_"No you're not." Juliet decided. She sat next to him, but didn't say anything. Sawyer sat in silence for a while. He'd been so busy dealing with Ben, he hadn't realized what day it was._

_"My parents died." He whispered, "Today. They're gone again." Juliet didn't say she was sorry. She didn't pretend to understand. She just stayed with him, which he was grateful for even if he couldn't show it._

_"It's alright you know, to cry." Juliet whispered. Sawyer couldn't help himself. He broke down, right then and there. Juliet helped him through it, and ever since, there was no question of them being together. They didn't need to announce it, or feel unsure, it was just there._

Sawyer marched back to the cabin, slowing his pace so he wouldn't alarm anyone. The cabin lights were on, and it was surrounded by men with guns. Sawyer ran for the back, covering his head with his hands. Either the men were so surprised that they waited too long to fire, or they had orders not to. Having no door, he jumped through a slightly broken window on the side.

As he stood up, he took in the scene. Desmond was bent over Penny, who seemed unconscious. It seemed like a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Kate and Claire were at the window, firing back. Desmond pointed to the table, not taking his eyes from Penny, and Sawyer armed himself from a pile guns. Sawyer ran to Desmond and tossed him a gun.

"Desmond we need your help." Desmond kissed Penny on the forehead and crept to the window. The other side stopped firing. Sawyer looked to the others for an explanation. They looked just as shocked as he was. Claire was glaring out the window, and Sawyer was scared to see that she seemed completely emotionless. Kate's hand were covered in blood, but she didn't seem to be bleeding.

Hurley and Ben came crashing into the room.  
"They found us." Ben informed them.

"Yeah, we can see that," Sawyer snapped, "How did you get in here?"

"We created a diversion."

"Uh-huh. Ben, take Claire's gun from her and her place at the window." Sawyer ordered.

"What?!" Claire shrieked

"You're too involved. Help Penny." Claire thrust her gun into Ben arms and sat near Penny. Sawyer was relieved to see that she looked human again. An explosion from far away rattled the windows.

"What was that?" Desmond yelled.

"That, would be the diversion." Ben said, offering no further explanation, "Let's leave while we can." They all got up. Desmond helped Penny to walk. The shot was through-and-through, but she was still tired. Voices came yelling, closer to the cabin. They all ran.

They ran through the trees as fast as they could. Sawyer brought up the rear, while Ben was in front. Voices as close as a few feet behind them shouted excitedly. They made it to the van and piled in.

Hurley sat in the driver's seat, ready to start it up. It stalled.

"Hurry up!" Kate yelled. The van roared to life and they sped away down the road.

"They could still be following us." Ben warned them all. His face showed that he had expected this from the start and already had a plan.

"But why?" Claire wondered. Hurley was silent at the wheel, but Ben jumped at the chance to answer.

"Why?" Ben pretended to ponder the question, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because that island is the source of the highest concentration of electromagnetic energy in the world with the power to cure cancer, send people back in time, bring a person back from the brink of death, and make someone with an absolutely crushed spine walk again. Just a guess."

No one said anything in argument. Sawyer sat next to Kate, studying her from any injury. She turned to him and smiled. He remembered that day on the dock he always wondered and now he knew, Juliet would've said yes.

Images flashed through his mind, the memories he had of Juliet burned into his mind, he was to afraid to forget.

_"The sub is leaving tomorrow," Juliet said as they ate pasta. Juliet had been trying to teach him to cook and it hadn't been going to well. He got better though. His stomach turned at the idea of her leaving him, he'd known about the sub but selfishly didn't say anything. She watched him with her blue eyes, waiting for him to talk. After a long silence, she smiled. "Don't worry James, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you."_


	21. The Man in Black

**A/N - Sorry for the wait. New chapters should be up at a regular pace. **

* * *

"Do ya think we lost 'em, brotha?" Desmond asked when the shock had finally worn off and been replaced with worry, "Pen, she needs a hospital." Beside Desmond, Penny moaned slightly as if to prove his point.

"We've evaded them for now, but w'ell need to get another van...when I'm sure that we're in the clear, we can take Penny to the hospital. Her condition isn't critical." Ben answered from the steering wheel. He stepped on the gas and the van barreled down the desolate road. Desmond could smell something that seemed suspiciously like burnt rubber, but Ben gave no signs of stopping or even slowing down.

Desmond debated whether to press Ben any further. On one hand, Ben was hard to trust, on the other, he had just saved them all. Desmond decided that he dared not argue. With matted hair and bloodshot eyes, it was obvious that Ben hadn't slept for days and angering him in this position didn't seem wise at the moment. It was best to leave him be. Desmond propped a sleeping Penny onto his shoulder and smoothed her hair back.

Everyone else was asleep, although how they could possibly be with Hurley's thunderous snoring was beyond Desmond. All he knew was that he, himself couldn't rest until his family was safe again. What had he been thinking? Bringing his wife along on this quest, journey, whatever it was? Desmond had dragged her into danger. She, of course, had insisted on coming along in fear of Desmond "disappearing again". Now she was bleeding into one of Hurley's spare shirts.

The snoring went on, louder than the roar of engine. The tires screeched in protest as Ben veered to the left and merged into traffic. The van slowed to match those of cars on the road and Ben sighed in relief. His hands, which had been clutching the wheel, slackened slightly.

Desmond though to himself that Claire must be stronger than she looked to deal with the possibility of finding Charlie and the panic of being away from her son. It must be hard, he thought.

Desmond couldn't stay awake any longer, his eyes felt heavy, so heavy. He couldn't keep them open-but Penny, she needed him, he had to stay awake for her. He tried to fight it with everything he had. What if it happens again? He wondered. His heart started to race at the thought. Never in his life had he felt so alone than when he was in Charlie's head- not even when he had been in the hatch. Maybe just for a little while, His thoughts pleaded, Just a quick nap. Desmond closed his eyes and fell asleep.

_Desmond was somewhere else now. Propped up against a wall maybe? No, he couldn't be. Restraints were still hugging his wrists. Maybe a chair. Desmond tried to move, but he couldn't. He wasn't in control of his actions. His vision was blurry, and the picture zoomed in and out of focus. Before him, he could make out some dark shape. He focused on it, and the edges became less fuzzy. The shape became a square. The square became a cube. Desmond realized that he was staring at a tv._

_His head shook without him intending for it to. Charlie must be in control... Maybe he's trying to show me something... Desmond thought in a haze. Desmond could hear someone talking, but the sound was wrong, like he was underwater. Still, he could understand what was said._

_"Wake him up!" a female voice snapped. Desmond guessed that she was Eloise. "He's no use to use in this condition. Wake. Him. Up." A hand grabbed Desmond's wrist and inserted a needle into his arm. All of the sudden his senses sharpened._

_He was in a room sitting at a table with a tv staring him in the face. To the right of the tele, behind a glass wall sat a triumphant looking Eloise Hawking. She was leaning forward just ever so slightly with a hungry gleam in her aquiline eyes. Her hands gripped the arms of her chair for support. Desmond realized with a pang in his heart that she must be close to breaking Charlie._

_Desmond felt himself glaring at Eloise with his newfound strength. Blood was rushing in his ears. Eloise smirked, and Desmond, not wanting her to feel superior, grinned back. For a moment, she looked taken aback and a shadow of doubt passed over her smug face. Desmond smiled some more._

_"So? What is it that you want then, Eloise?" He chuckled without wanting to in a voice that was not his own, but Charlie's. It felt beyond strange to feel his mouth move without actually moving it himself. It was like he was possessed._

_"I wanted you to watch this video tape Mr. Pace. There is something on it which may hold some importance to you." She nodded to a camera on the wall and the tv switched on. Desmond found himself staring at a surveillance video of the ice cream shop. His throat went dry. He watched in shocked silence as he, his wife and son, and the others entered. How did they get this? What was Charlie trying to show him? Desmond decided to stop thinking and pay attention._

_The recording continued, showing Little Charlie falling and crying and Aaron trying to comfort him. Desmond's hands, Charlie's hands, were now shaking in their restraints. He watched himself soothe his son, saw himself meeting Liam and then leaving. Then, when Desmond thought it was over, a man with a briefcase who had been sitting in the corner the whole time walked up to the stand. He ordered and his gaze wandered up to the security camera. He nodded right to Desmond's now pale face, just brief enough that the store owners would think nothing up of it, but long enough to send Eloise a message. A conformation. He was following them. The tape switched off and Desmond, shaking uncontrollably, met Eloise's eyes with his own pleading ones._

_"Oh yes, Mr. Pace. We know that your friends are looking for you. We know where they are now, in a little boat in the harbor. We know where the children are, we know where Ms. Littleton is, we know everything." Charlie didn't respond. This already happened, Desmond realized._

_"We have an operative watching their ship at this very moment. An operative with a cell phone with one number in it's register..." Here, she pulled out a cellphone of her own and placed it neatly on the table. Her hand patted it while she smiled. "All I have to do is call." The figure Kate saw..., Desmond thought._

_"What do you want?" Charlie asked in a defeated voice._

_"The location of the island." She informed him. Her casual tone suggested that the information was meaningless. Desmond hoped that Charlie hadn't fell for it._

_"I don't know for the hundredth time." Charlie said desperately. Eloise sighed and picked up the phone. She paused and stared at Desmond._

_"Last chance Mr. Pace. I know that you Jacob's number two. I know that you died over thirty years ago and yet somehow I see you here before me. I know Jacob must have brought you back somehow, told you things. My son died thirty years ago and Jacob did nothing to save him! I want answers!"_

_"I'm sorry that he died. I don't know what to tell you. Please, don't." Charlie begged. Eloise switched the phone on with a defiant swipe. Before she could call, however, it rang a long shrill sound. It shocked Eloise so much she dropped it onto the table and it landed with a resounded clatter. She picked it up and answered. Desmond strained to listen._

_"Position has been compromised. They seem to have someone else watching over them. I think it might be Linus. Possibly working with Reyes. Oh, and Shepherd." Desmond's heart gave an excited leap. Jack, alive? It can't be, Desmond thought._

_"Shepherd is dead. Could it be Alpert?" Eloise demanded shrilly._

_"Possibly. Whoever it is keeps his face concealed."_

_"Leave them be for now." With that, Eloise snapped the phone shut. Her eyes turned to Desmond. "Drug him," she waved her hand casually in his direction with her other rubbing her forehead. "I don't want him to remember any of this." another needle intruded Desmond's personal space, jammed right into his arm and his vision went black._

The van lurched to a stop, throwing everyone who wasn't smart enough to put a seatbelt on forward in a violent arc. Desmond heard a loud thump and a cry of pain. Sawyer, being the only one not restrained by a seatbelt rubbed his head angrily. Everyone else woke up groggily.

"What's going on?" Claire asked groggily. Desmond was still reeling from the vision. What was Charlie trying to tell him? That they were being followed? Was it a clue as to where he was?

"Hey Tiny Tim! You think you can try and drive better? Some of us were sleeping!" Sawyer shouted. Desmond laughed in spite of himself, in spite of everything. "Gonna give someone whiplash!" Sawyer barked.

"A bird deliberately flew into the windshield." Ben objected.

"Well," Sawyer quipped, "at least he won't be doing that again."

"Yeah, I don't reckon he'll have the guts to." Desmond joked and laughed again. Kate joined in, even while protesting that it wasn't funny. Soon, they were all laughing, even Sawyer. Desmond laughed so much his sides started to hurt.

"That poor bird..." Kate gasped between laughs, "you should have been wearing a seatbelt, Sawyer."

"Yeah, Dude. That's kinda like, what they're for." Hurley chuckled.

"Yeah? We'll excuse me for thinking that Ben knew how to drive." Sawyer countered.

"You're lucky you didn't go through the windshield." Claire giggled.

"Bird almost did." Sawyer observed, eyeing a large dent in the windshield with cracks that stretched out like spider webs.

"We're being followed." Ben said suddenly. The laughter ceased. "A black sedan merged into our lane eight miles ago and has stayed directly two cars behind us the entire time." Ben drummed his fingers on the wheel, and looked at them seriously through the rear view mirror.

Desmond whipped around and saw a black car off in the distance. He sighed in exhaustion and ran a hand through his hair. A shocked silence came over them all.

"Why didn't you say something sooner Benny?" Sawyer broke the silence.

"And ruin your sleep? I wouldn't dare." Ben said, "I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure until now." As if to prove to Desmond that he had the worst luck ever, the two cars behind them pulled into a turnout leaving the sedan the lone follower.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Hurley said. The car came closer and closer, while Ben did his best to push the van past its limits. The sedan easily caught up.

The car drove into the line beside them and matched their speed. It rammed into their side with incredible force. Claire, who was by the side-door window, was thrown into it and slumped against the wall unconscious. They hit them again, this time with more force, but this time Ben pushed them back. The car swerved and Ben rammed his foot on the gas. It came onto their sides again trying to force them off the road.

With a final push, the driver of the car managed to force them off the road and into the dirt, the wheels crunching on the gravel as they slowed. The engine whined a pitiful sound, sputtered, then shut down completely. Crickets chirped, trees bowed lazily in the wind, cars drove by, the the van went out, and nothing happened.

"We need to get out of here." Kate whispered.

"Why haven't they done anything? Where are they, the cowards?" Desmond wondered, fear edging into his voice. As if to answer, they heard the crunching of gravel behind them. Someone was running in their direction.

"Fantastic." Desmond joked.

"We need to get out of here." Kate repeated. Desmond agreed wholeheartedly and looked to the others, hoping that they agreed as well. Ben was trying to start the car again and hissing various insults at the engine. What are they waiting for? Desmond wondered.

"Forget you lot! I'm getting out of here while I can!" Desmond shouted, "Kate? Can you help me with Penny?"

"As long as you help me with Claire." She whispered.

"No need," Sawyer spoke at last, "I'll get Blondie. We need to move." Desmond got out first, taking Penny by under the arms. Kate stepped out with the legs. Desmond raised his hand for silence. He couldn't hear anyone moving. He nodded to Sawyer who scooped Claire up so that her arms dangled down and hopped out of the van. Hurley and Ben stayed, Ben still insulting the engine.

"Where did they go?" Kate asked. Desmond peered through the darkness. There wasn't anyone in sight. He shook his head.

"I don't know. I can't see anyone." For some reason, Kate seemed terrified now that their perusers were nowhere in sight. Sawyer adjudged tied his grip on Claire and then looked to the van.

"Hey Hugo! Get out here!" He whispered. Hurley didn't move, and remained talking to Ben. Kate and Desmond each put one of Penny's arms around their necks.

"Hugo!" Sawyer nearly yelled. Hurley looked at them and shook his head sadly. Desmond's mind went numb. _It's too much, I can't deal with anymore._

"We have to leave. Now!" Kate insisted. Her pleading eyes bored into Desmond's, silently begging him to move, to leave while they had any chance in the world. Desmond nodded. Desmond and Kate moved as fast as they could, carrying Penny's weight between them, while Desmond was irritated to see that Sawyer was holding Claire aloft and walking casually beside them.

They made it to the tree-line and hid behind the trunks. Penny and Claire, they propped against a tree. They looked back at the van. Kate let out a shriek and clapped a hand over mouth. Someone was walking around the van.

"Hurley and Ben are in there." She whispered.

"Yeah, well, that was their genius decision." Sawyer grunted, "we have us to worry about." Sawyer looked away, acted uncaring, yet Desmond could hear the worry hidden in his voice.

The figure leaned into the side window, and started talking to Ben. Sawyer narrowed his eyes. Desmond gripped into the trunk of the tree giving himself splinters.

"There's something I need to say." Sawyer whispered, "Earlier I was walking around looking for Hugo and his henchman over there," he gestured to the van, "when I heard them talking to someone...someone else. That could be the guy."

Kate twisted around to face Sawyer. "You couldn't have mentioned this earlier, James?" He shrugged. The man at the van was looking around with the air of someone being followed.

"I didn't know what it meant earlier." Kate turned to face the van again. She frowned.

"Forget this." She decided. And with that, Kate walked right out of the trees, right at the van.

"Kate!" Sawyer hissed, then ran after her. Desmond wanted to follow, but Penny and Claire were still unconscious and defenseless. Kate walked up the the figure and tapped him on the shoulder, nearly hit him.

"Hey! Who are you?" She yelled. The figure turned around and Kate went silent. Sawyer walked up next to her, then laughed. He and the figure spoke words that Desmond couldn't hear and then hugged. Kate was still standing in silent shock.

"Were you the one that forced us off the road?" Sawyer asked loudly with a chuckle. The man shook his head.

Desmond again looked at Penny and Claire. He couldn't bear to tear himself away from Penny, but curiosity was starting to get the better of him. He drummed his fingers against the bark of the tree he was behind, then stepped out of cover.

He started to jog, then to run. He made it to the van and looked the man in the eyes. His heart nearly stopped and he knew without seeing it that his face had gone as white as a ghost's. _It can't be, _Desmond thought.

"You?" He asked in confusion. Sawyer was grinning, Kate's mouth was hanging open. It wasn't possible, Desmond couldn't process it. He didn't have time to. A whole convoy of vans pulled off of the road and blocked their way out.

"Well, that's just fantastic, isn't it?" Desmond muttered.


	22. Secrets And Lies

_"Jack! Jack!" a voice called from the void. He felt himself being shaken violently. The voice was crying. Jack felt too comfortable to open his eyes._

_"Jack! Please don't be dead, dude. Please. Just hold on. Ben! I need more water! I think he's waking up!" _I don't want to wake up_, Jack thought, _I'd rather stay here_._

_"What was that?" The voice grew excited, "Ben, he's talking!" Jack heard the unmistakable sound of someone crashing through the undergrowth, and the sound of a canteen clanking up against something metal. Hurley shook Jack again. _It must be Hurley_, Jack decided, _I just watched everyone else leave._ Water was poured into his mouth, and Jack sputtered._

_"That's it, dude." Hurley encouraged. Jack oped his eyes a crack. When his eyes, adjusted, Jack could see Hurley's face beaming at him, and Ben standing above, looking down.. Jack looked past them. The bamboo trees swayed lazily in the breeze, and above them, a perfect blue sky. Well, almost perfect. The image was marred by two white contrails created by the Ajira flight._

_"Kate?" Jack asked._

_"She left with the others on the plane." Ben confirmed. "Claire, Sawyer, Miles, Lapidus, and Richard left with her." Jack nodded and was met with a sudden wave of nausea. He let his head drop onto the dirt._

_"Just lie still, man." Hurley warned him. "You could have, like radiation poisoning or something."_

_"He'll be fine Hugo." Ben gave his assurance, "Let him rest."_

"Well, that's just fantastic, isn't it?" Desmond muttered.

"I've gotten out of worse," Jack replied. He tried to act casual, to be the epitome of cool and collected, because inside he was stumped. Jack then realized that he was no longer in charge; they'd been doing fine without him up to this point. Well, good enough. They hadn't even noticed that he'd been following them for days.

The door of the van closest to them slid open so slowly, if Jack didn't know better, he'd think it was gloating. The woman from the church stepped out of the car and walked towards them.

"Good evening, Eloise. Lovely to see you again." Desmond joked. He waved his hand in mock cheerfulness. Sawyer glared in her direction.

"Likewise." She smiled.

"What is it that you want?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, why're you followin' us?" Sawyer demanded.

"Simple. I want to know where the island is." She said with a kind smile on her face. Jack couldn't believe it, and narrowed his eyes.

"Can't you just use the lamppost station? That's how you got us back." _Pretend that you don't know, _Jack ordered himself.

"I could have," she conceded,"until your friend Mr. Pace destroyed it." Eloise glared at Hurley and Ben. "What a situation you have put yourselves in! You do want Mr. Pace, don't you? Well," she laughed, "If you tell me where the island can be found, I will release him to you."

"Wait," Kate pressed, "You'll let him go, just like that?" Jack turned and saw to his horror that Kate was considering the offer. That couldn't not happen.

"Kate, the island is too important-" he began.

"Who _cares_ about the island?! Charlie is your friend! He sacrificed himself for you, for all of us!"

"Kate you saw what happened when Desmond pulled the plug! Who knows what her plan is?"

"Kate," Sawyer sighed, "You can't go believin' what Umbridge here is tellin' us. She sent her own kid to that island _knowing_ that he would die!" Eloise's face went white. Her hands shook limply by her sides. Eloise worked up the nerve to retaliate.

"How dare you!" She quavered, "How dare you accuse me of, of-"

"Because it's true," Ben muttered with a chuckle. "And for what it's worth, Hugo and I, the current protesters of the island, agree with Jack."

"Oh, no. It's not her fault is it, Eloise? Whatever is meant to happen, will happen regardless, right?" Desmond yelled. "You can't change the future, can you? I believed you, and you took _three years_ of my life from me! And guess what, I'm still here! Pressing that button was _not_ the most important thing I've ever done! Marrying my wife was, being there for the birth of my son. I have _nothing_ to say to you." Desmond snarled. He put his hands behind his head and turned away in disgust.

Jack put out his hand to Desmond. "Let's just all come down here. I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement"

"Shut up, Doc! We were doin' just fine without you!" Sawyer glared. Desmond walked away, back to the trees where his wife was hidden..

"Really, James? Because you seemed oblivious to the fact that I had been following you."

"I knew someone was. Hurley and Ben kept having all those private conversations about 'someone'." He made quotation marks in the air around the word someone. Kate frowned to herself.

"Wait!" She rounded on Ben, "You told me Jack was dead! You said you buried him!" Ben shifted his feet and looked at the gravel. Jack saw tears come to her eyes. Immediately guilt welled up inside him.

"Kate," Jack again, "I told them to lie." Kate stared at Jack with a mixture of disbelief, sadness, anger, and confusion on her face. Eloise looked back and forth at each of them, eyes wide.

"Doc, maybe we shouldn't be, you know." Sawyer motioned to Eloise who was watching their conversation with the excited fever of a child opening a birthday present.

"You told them to lie." Kate whispered to herself, like she couldn't quite believe it. "You told them to lie. Why?" Her eyes searched Jack's own. Jack knew he couldn't lie again.

"To save the island. I needed to-"

"Oh, to save the island!" Kate yelled sarcastically and shook her head is disbelief, "Because the island is so _important_!"

"Freckles," Sawyer warned. He kept his eyes on the vans.

"No one could know that I was alive. All I do is cause problems, make things worse." Jack swallowed then continued, "I'm the one who destroyed the lamppost. Not Charlie."

"Well," Eloise seemed to have recovered, "You'll just have to come with me then. Jack laughed to himself.

"You think I'm going to go _anywhere_ with you?" He laughed again.

"No. Not willingly, of course not. I think you are going to come with me because there are people in those vans that would do just about anything to learn the location of the island."

"They will." Ben gave Jack a sidelong glance. Hurley nodded fervently.

"If I go with you, will you let Charlie go?" Jack asked. _Why am I doing this?_ Jack wondered.

"I'll think about it. Really, it depends on the information you give me. Mr. Pace has inside information that has, so far, proved invaluable.

"Charlie would never tell you anything." Came a quiet voice behind Jack. He turned around to see who it was.

"Claire," he breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm sorry." She smiled back in understanding. Jack noticed something different about her; although she was smiling, her eyes looked lost and hopeless, and her fists were clenched in anger.

"How're you feelin' Blondie?" Sawyer asked.

"Fine enough," she glared at Eloise, "Who are you?"

"Oh, enough of this," Eloise sighed in exasperation, "Take them." The windows of the vans slid open and Jack felt something pierce his neck. A shock went through his body and his vision went blurry. Jack had enough time to see Desmond lying on the ground, having returned with Penny, when his vision went black.

_"How am I alive?" Jack wondered aloud, "Going into that pool should have killed me." The water lapped against the side of the dock gently, and the sun shone brightly above. Hurley and Ben were standing by a small ship with identical looks of concern on their faces._

_"You are alive because the island needs you alive." Ben informed him, "It isn't finished with you Jack." Jack concentrated, and his arm turned to white smoke. He focused again, and it turned back into his arm._

_"Dude, can you like, not do that? It creeps me out." Hurley said and shuddered._

_"No one can know. You need to tell them that I'm dead." Jack said suddenly. Hurley immediately looked confused._

_"They won't care dude, it's not like you're evil." he joked nervously._

_"There's something I have to do, and if Eloise is searching for the island like you say, and if she has Charlie, no can know I'm alive... or what I am, or she'll take me too. Only Desmond and myself know how to destroy the island. If she finds me, I won't be able to help anyone."_

_"Well, all you'd have to is turn to smoke and they couldn't do anything." Hurley pointed out._

_"Are you sure I can leave? Locke-I mean, the monster couldn't." Jack asked. He looked up to face Ben, who was deep in thought._

_"Those were Jacob's rules. As long as Hurley says it's okay, you should be fine." Ben raised his eyes to meet Jack's gaze."They'll find out eventually, Jack."The way he said it, Jack knew he wasn't talking about Eloise and whoever she was working for._

_"You should go help them find Charlie. When the time is right, I'll join you. Just make sure you keep them safe." Jack looked at both Ben and Hurley. He needed their assurances._

_"They'll be fine, dude I think I know someone who can watch the island for us. Don't worry dude, it'll all turn out right, I promise." Hurley assured him._


End file.
